Friendly Neighbours: Moving in
by fictionalhearts
Summary: Sequel to Friendly Neighbours. Levy and Gajeel have been dating for a short while. Are they ready for the next step(s) in their relationship? And what happens when Gajeel's past comes back to haunt him?
1. Chapter 1

**This story is a sequel to Friendly Neighbours, so if you haven't read it I suggest you do that before you read this one. This story will be a little darker than the previous one, but there will be cute and funny moments too.**

 **Okay, here we go. The first chapter, and some "morning activites".**

* * *

Levy turned of the alarm clock and looked at the man still sleeping next to her. The long mass of black hair covered his naked back and he rested his head on his folded arms. He looked so peaceful. His rough expression always softened when he was sleeping.

When Levy moved into the apartment building about a year and a half ago, she never thought that she would have a relationship with this man. They barely spoke to each other, and when they did he always teased her about her heigth or about her forgetting her keys. That was actually what started it, they slowly became some kind of friends because of that, and she got used to his piercings and his attitude. She learned that beneath it all he was hiding a good guy. They both had feelings for each other though it was a little difficult to admit, especially for him.

They had been dating for about a month now. They had agreed to take things slow and get to know each other, but sometimes they just couldn't keep their hands off each other. Levy was still amazed that she, the tiny woman that she was, had that effect on him. And he made her feel like no one else had. They were an odd couple, she was aware of that. They were only in the beginning of their relationship and it was a lot she didn't know about him, but it felt right,

Last night she had fallen asleep in his arms. It was actually the first time she spent the night. She really likes this feeling, falling asleep next to him and waking up next to him the morning after.

Levy reached out and gently touched Gajeel's face. At first she didn't like all his piercings, he had them in his ears, on his eyebrows, both sides of his nose, his chin, and even on his forearms. Now she thought it would be weird without them. They were a part of who he was.

She put her fingertips on the scar above his pierced eyebrow. He got in a fight with some jerks at Fairy Tail. One of them had ttd tried to hit on Levy, which she didn't like, and Gajeel had hit him to help her out. Later the guy came back with his friends for revemge. Gajeel fought all four of them and got badly beaten. But he was the one left standing and they never saw the guys again. Levy had taken care of him afterwards. He was fine now, but the image of a bloody, badly beaten Gajeel would probably never leave her.

Gajeel opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Hi", he said.

"Hi."

Gajeel put his arm around Levy's waist and pulled her closer. His lips found hers in a soft kiss. She put her hand at the back of his neck and entangled her fingers in his messy hair. She gave his tongue entrance to her mouth and his hand moved down to her hip. She shifted and he ran his hand over her thigh, moving higher to her core. He moved on top of her and she spread her legs to let him enter her wet folds. They moved in a slow rythm.

"Good morning."

"Good morning."

Afterwards, when they were lying next to each other, Levy looked at the alarm clock and realized she had forgotten about the time.

"I have to get up. I'm gonna be late for work."

"Call in sick", Gajeel suggested.

"Tempting, but I have to go to work."

Levy kissed Gajeel on the cheek and left the bed. She put on the t-shirt he was wearing the day before and went to the bathroom. She was small, and that t-shirt was huge on her, but Gajeel liked it. He hadn't told her, but she was damn sexy when she was wearing his clothes. Like that time when it was raining and he let her borrow that hoodie. Whenn he saw her wearing it, with her hair still wet from the rain, he just had to kiss her. It surpirsed him, a lot, and it probably surprised her too.

"What are you thinking about?" Levy wondered when she came back from the bathroom.

"Nothing."

Levy put on the same clothes she wore the day before . She was going to stop by her apartment and change on her way to work. She hadn't planned on spending the night, but they lived in the same building after all.

"I'll be picking up Jet and Droy at the airport after work", Levy reminded him. "I'm spending the night at Jet's. See you tomorrow?"

Gajeel sighed at the mention of Jet and Droy. He had only met them a few times, but he didn't like them, and they didn't like him.. But they were Levy's best friends.

"Yeah, sure", he said and folded his arms under his head.

"So, what are you gonna do today?" Levy asked and gave him another kiss on the cheek.

"Go back to sleep, watch tv, go down to the center and watch Lily work. He's been bugging me about it for weeks."

Gajeel finally quit his job two weeks earlier and Lily tried to convince him to come and work for him at the youth center.

"When are you gonna say 'yes' to his offer?"

"Maybe never."

He kissed her, and she kissed him back before she pulled away. Now she was really getting late for work.

She left Gajeel's apartment with a smile on her lips. This was definitely a good morning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the follows, the faves and the review. Here is the second chapter. I hope you like it.**

* * *

After Levy left Gajeel fell back asleep and woke up a few hours later. He ate som kind of breakfast/lunch and watched TV for a couple of hours before he got bored. Maybe he should go down to the center and watch Lily work after all. Just to have something to do.

When Gajeel got to the youth center he stood outside and just stared at the building for a while. Anyone was welcome here but the center focused on troubled kids. Boys and girls that had troubles at home, that didn't have anywheren to go after school or had a hard time in school.

Gajeel met Lily here, and he had his community service here. Gajeel disliked him at first, and it was a lot of bickering between them, especially from his part, before they learned to get a long, Lily refused to treat him different than the others, and after a while he gained his respect. Gajeel had continued to meet with Lily even after his community service was over, and they became friends. Lily saw something in him that others couldn't. He had changed a lot over the years they had known each other.

Gajeel opened the door to the youth center and got inside. A girl with purple hair and a gentle appearance sat at the front desk. She looked up when she heard him come in.

"Hi, Gajeel", she said. "Are you looking for Lily?"

"Is he here?"

"He's in his office. He's been on the phone all morning."

"Thanks, Kinana."

Gajeel knew the way and walked straight to the office. He had been there many times before. Sometimes forced to and some times voluntarily.

Gajeel knocked on the door and opened it. Lily just finished a conversationon on the phone and hung up. Gajeel crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame.

"Working hard I see."

"As always", Lily said. "What brings you here?"

"I got bored."

"Good, then you can come with me", Lily said. "I need to pick up a new window for the gym. Someone broke it last night."

"How did it happen this time?"

"They threw a brick at it. At least they didn't use the gym equipment."

Lily gave Gajeel a look as he got up from his chair and put on his jacket. They where both thinking about the same thing. Gajeel remembered it very well.

* * *

 _Gajeel kicked down a trash can and continued to walk down the sidewalk. It was late and he was cold, and he had nowhere to go. He wasn't going back there. They didn't care about him. They only wanted the money. That man was always drunk, and always getting on his nerves, He was going to be 18 soon. He could take care of himself._

 _He sighed and stopped outside a building. It was that youth center that started a while back. He had never been there. Maybe he should check it out. He walked around to the back and found out that the back door was unlocked. What idiot left the door unlocked?_

 _Gajeel sneaked inside. This place was bigger than he thought. He found a staircase that led down to the basement. Down there was a gym and locker rooms with showers. Gajeel looked around at the gym equipment. He was strong and he liked to work out. He easily lifted one of the heavy dumbbells and looked at it. He was so sick of everything. Without t thinking he threw the dumbbell at a nearby window. He watched it the glass with a loud sound and saw the shards of broken glass fall to the floor._

 _"What the hell do you think you're doing?"_

 _Dammit. Busted. He wasn't alone here after all._

 _Gajeel slowly turned around and stood face to face with a tall, muscular man that was a couple of years older than himself. He didn't yell at him, but he let him know that he didn't like what he had done. He made a phone call and waited with him until the cops came._

 _The court ordered him to do community service at the youth center and when he showed up on the first day that young man was the first person he saw._

 _"You're gonna go to this adress and pick up a new window", he said and gave Gajeel a piece of paper. "Tell them that I sent you and they'll know what kind of window you want. If you break this one you're paying with your own money."_

 _"I ain't got any."_

 _"Don't break it then. Sane goes with the truck."_

 _He tossed Gajeel the keys and he xaught them mid air,_

 _"I ain't got a license."_

 _"You don't have a license. I guess I'll be going with you then,"_

 _He took the car keys back and motioned Gaheel to follow him._

 _"I'm Lily, by the way."_

 _Gajeel snorted._

 _"What kind of name is that?"_

 _"What's your name?"_

 _"Gajeel."_

 _"What kind of name is that?"_

 _Gajeel just glared at him and got into the car. They picked up the window and Lily told him to help him put it up._

 _"Look, we treat everybody equal and with respect around here. But you have to earn that respect. If you don't want to be here just let me know. I'll make a phone call and you can spend some time in jail instead."._

 _Gajeel didn't answer. He shrugged and shook his head._

 _"Good. Now help me with that window."_

* * *

"Do you know who it was?" Gajeel asked.

"No, not yet."

Gajeel looked at his friend. If he found out who did it, he would probably make him work there and pay it off. Kinda like he did with him,

They picked up the window and Gajeel helped Lily clean up the shards of glass and then they replaced the broken window with the new one. Just like they did when Gajeel was the one who broke it.

Later, when he was at home lying on the couch and watched TV, he wondered what Levy was doing. He wouldn't admit it, but he felt a little lonely without her.

* * *

 **There you have a piece of Gajeel's past. More of it will be revealed as the story goes. Please leave a review and let me know what you think about it.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Jet! Droy!"

Levy jumped up and down and waved with her arms to make sure her two best friends would see her. The airport was crowded and people were walking around everywhere. Since Levy was smaller than most of them, she had to do something that made her stand out from the croowd.

"Levy!"

The boys smiled brightly when they saw her and they held out their arms to catch her in a big hug. It was so nice to see each other again. Except for that weekend when they made that surprise visit they hadn't seen each other for a couple of months.

"I'm so glad you're back!" Levy said and hugged them a little tighter.

"So are we", Jet said. "It's been amazing, but it's good to be home."

"Can we hurry? I'm starving", Droy said.

Jet and Levy looked at him and smiled.

"What? Airplane food is terrible."

"Yeah, yeah. You're always hungry", Jet said.

Levy was surprised to see them hold hands as they walked out from the airport. They had never done that in public before. Maybe their travels had been good for them in more ways than one. She didn't say anything. She didn't want to draw attention to them. It was no big deal, anyway. But she was proud of them for taking that step, no matter how big or small it was.

They got into the car that Levy had borrowed from Jet's mom. His mom wasn't able to pick them up herself, but she said that Levy could take her car and pick them up. Jet was going to return it the next day.

They where all three staying the night in Jet's apartment. They used to have sleepovers like this all the time, especially when they were younger. They stayed at Levy's, then at Jet's and then at Droy's. Their close friendship brought their families together and their parents also became close friends.

They ordered chinese food and ate it in the livingroom while they talked about what had happened the last couple of months. Levy had heard most of their stories before, but she loved hearing them talk about everything they experienced in the countries they'd been to. And she promised once again that she would go to at least one of the countries sometime in the future.

After dinner they ate chocolate chip ice cream and Jet and Droy had another surprise for Levy.

"We have thought a lot about what you said", Jet started and looked at Droy.

"And we decided to..." Droy continued and looked at Jet.

"We're moving in together", Jet finished.

"You are?" Levy said with a smile.

"Yes. You're right. It's time we stop pretending, so we're taking the next step and moving in together. Droy practically lives here anyway."

"When are you moving in?:" Levy asked and turned to Droy.

"Next wekeend. There's no need to wait now that we decided, right? We've known each other for years, and like he said, I practically live here already."

"I'm so happy for you guys", Levy said and gave them both a hug. "You should ask Gajeel for help."

Jet and Droy looked at each other and sighed lightly.

"He's big and strong, and he can help you carry furniture and stuff."

"Yeah, I guess you're right", Jet said, though neither him or Droy liked the idea.

But the fact was that Gajeel was big and strong and moving would probably be easier with him around.

"We can ask Natsu and Lucy too", Levy suggested. "Natsu will never turn down free pizza."

"Yeah, that will be good."

"I can ask Gajeel if you don't want too."

"Sure..."

Levy thought of this as an opportunity for them to get to know each other. Jet and Droy had been negative about Gajeel from the start. Maybe it was the way he looked and all his piercing. And Gajeel was sligthly negative to Jet and Droy, but that was probably a result of their behaviour towards him. Levy was hoping they could learn to get along. They didn't have to be friends, but maybe they could atleast tolerate each other.

Jet and Droy, especially Jet, had always been very protective of her when it came to guys. Maybe it didn't have to do with Gajeel in particular. They had never liked her boyfriends, especially not in the beginning. It had always been the three of them, so maybe they just didn't want to share her with someone else. But they had to.

They stayed up all night talking, and it was almost morning when they finally went to sleep. It was just like old times.

When Levy lay down in bed and tried to fall asleep, she thought about Gajeel, and thought that the bed felt empty without him.

* * *

When Levy came home the next day she she got a shower and then she walked up to the fifth floor and Gajeel's apartment. She knocked the door and waited for him to open it.

"Hi Shrimp," he said and gave her a kiss.

"Hi."

She hugged him and followed him inside. He had just made coffee and poured it into a mug. Levy felt quite at home in his kitchen by now and made herself some hot chocolate.

"So, how was Jet and Droy?" Gajeel asked, though he wasn't really interested in knowing.

"Really good. It was so great to see them again. We had so much to talk about."

Levy jumped up on the counter of the kitchen island and swung her legs.

"You know what? They told me they're moving in together. Droy is moving in with Jet. Next wekeend, actually."

She drank from her hot chocolatr and looked at Gajeel over the edge of the mug.

"They were wondering if maybe you could help them."

"They were?" Gajeel asked doubtfully and drank his coffee

"Yeah, you can help carry heavy stuff like furniture and stuff. Natsu and Lucy are gonna help too."

"I guess."

"Good. And as thanks for the help you get..."

"What? They'll do me a 'favour'?"

"No! Pizza! Moving help always get puzza and beer."

"What do you get?"

"Pizza and something that's not beer."

"I'll do it. Someone's gonna make sure Flame Brain doesn't break anything."

"Thank you."

Levy put her mug on the counter and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"How was it at the center?" she asked.

"Good I guess. I helped Lily put up a new window in the gym."

"I'm glad you had something to do."

Gajeel leaned in and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Do you want something to do now?" he asked .

Levy smiled and pulled him closer for a kiss.


	4. Chapter 4

The following week went by fast, at least for Levy. She loved her work at the book store and now that Jet and Droy were back she liked it even more. They didn't work together all the time, but it was nice to know they were there. They talked a lot about books and the move, and Levy told them about Lucy's book. It was still a lot of work to do before it was being published, but Levy couldn't wait to hold the book in her hands and sell it to the customers.

When moving day came Natsu and Lucy came and picked up Levy and Gajeel in her pink little car. Gajeel hated that car,. He always felt claustrophobic riding in it, something he never did otherwise. Luckily he had only been in the car a few times. He let out a deep sigh of relief when he got out of the car at Droy's apartment. Levy gave him faint smile, she knew he hated the car.

Jet and Droy were packing boxes into the back of a pick up truck that were connected to a trailer. The pick up belonged to Droy's dad. He used it in his work, but today it served as a moving truck.

They looked up and stopped with what they were doing when they saw their friends come closer. Droy looked from Gajeel to Natsu and back at Gajeel again.

"Maybe you and Natsu could take the couch and carry it out and put it on the trailer?"

"Sure. Come on, Flame Brain. Try not to break anything on the way out."

Natsu looked like he was ready to fight, but Lucy calmed him down. They all followed Droy to the second floor. The door to his apartment was open and Gajeel and Natsu headed to the couch. They lift it up and carried it outside. Their bickering was heard all the way down the stairs.

"If you drop it I hit you", Gajeel treathened.

Levy and Lucy couldn't make out Natsu's come back but they could hear his irritation. They looked at each other and shrugged.

They filled the pick up and the trailer with as much as they could and then they drove to Jet's apartment.

Gajeel let out another sigh when he had to get into Lucy's car again, but it was a short drive and he could soon stretch out his long legs again. He and Natsu carried the couch up to Jet's apartment and put it down in the livingroom. Jet's couch had been removed the day before and were now replaced with Droy's.

Levy and Lucy helped Droy carry some of the boxes. Suddenly the world started spinning. Since Levy had her hands busy with a box, she wasn't able to break the fall. She fell to the side and hit her head on the wall.

"Ouch..."

She put the box on the stairs and placed a hand on her hurting head. Both Lucy and Droy turned around to see what happened.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Lucy asked anxiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine", Levy said and gave them a sheepish smile. "I just got a little dizzy, that's all."

She grabbed the box again and continued walking up the stairs.

"Maybe you should lie down for a while", Droy suggested.

"I'm fine, I don't need to lie down", Levy objected.

They reached the floor Jet lived on and Gajeel showed up in the doorway of the apartment with his arms crossed and a concerned look on his face.

"What's going on?"

"It's nothing", Levy said. "I just got a little dizzy."

"Are ya alright? Maye ya should lie down for a while."

"That's what I said", Droy said.

Gajeel glared at him and took the box from Levy. He made her follow him into the apartment, put the box down on the kitchen table and then turned to Levy.

"Let me see."

"It's nothing", Levy protested but showed him were she got hurt. He gently touched the sore area with his finger tips.

Levy didn't understand why they did such a big deal out of it. She just got a little dizzy, it was nothing to worry about. But Gajeel was worried, and it bothered him.

* * *

When they finished moving for the day they ordered pizza. Everyone ordered their favorite, and then they took a slice from every pizza. The guys drank beer and Levy and Lucy drank a soda. Levy didn't like beer and Lucy's excuse was that she was driving. She hadn't told them the pregnancy yet, but she would do it soon.

Gajeel didn't say much. He wasn't used to this and felt slightly uncomfortable. If it wasn't for Shrimp he would never have been able to stand all the noise and comments about this and that. When they were finally leaving he was glad to get away. Unfortunately he had to get into that stupid car again.

Levy fell asleep on ride home and he carried her up the stairsto his apartment. He could have taken her keys out of her pocket and leave her in her own apartment, but he just didn't want to. He looked at his keys for a moment before unlocking the door to the apartment and an unfinished thought went through his head.

* * *

A couple of days later, when Levy was getting ready for work, she thought that Gajeel seemed a little nervous. And soon she found out why.

"I got something for you", he said.

"What is it?" Levy asked curiously.

Gajeel put something in her hand and she looked at it.

"It's a key."

She looked at Gajeel, who was wondering if he really was doing this.

"Yeah.I was thinking... if you want...you could..."

Levy stared at the key..

"I ain't asking ya to move in. I just... If ya don't want it I'll take it back", Gajeel said and took the key from her.

"No! I want it."

She tried to take it back, but he held it out of her reach.

 _Damn, why does he have to be so tall?_

"I want it", she repeated.

"Okay, , but don't lose it", he said and gave her the key again.

She kissed him and put the key in her pocket.

"It's safe in here. I'll see you later, okay? I have to go to work."

"Yeah, see you later."

Gajeel watched her leave. He just gave her a key to his apartment. It wasn't like he was asking her to move in. He liked having her around, and she had spent a lot of time there lately.. Maybe she should have her own key.

* * *

Levy thought about it all day. Gajeel gave her a key to his apartment. Did that mean that he wanted her to move in, or did he just think that she should have a key to his place? Should she give him a key to her place?

When she finished work she met Lucy at the coffee shop. They sat at their favorite table by the window.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Lucy asked.

Levy took out the key and put it on the table.

"Gajeel gave it to me this morning."

"It's a key. Are you moving in with him?"

"He didn't ask me to, but he seemed very nervous when he gave it to me.. I've spent a lot of time there lately, but moving in already?"

Levy put the key back in her pocket.

"I just don't want him to feel pressured, you know? Maybe he thinks I expect it, because of Jet and Droy. I don't think the thought would even cross his mind if we hadn't helped them move in together."

"But you have only been dating for a month and a half. It's so soon."

"I know. There's still so much we don't know about each other and we said we're gonna take it slow so I haven't even thought about it."

"It's Gajeel we're talking about", Lucy said. "Nobody knows what he's thinking. But I didn't expect this from him, I mean..."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Maybe you shouldn't think so much and just see what happenes?" Lucy said thoughtfully. "And if you do move in wirh him, you could always keep your apartment for a while and see how it works out."

"Yeah, I guess so."

* * *

Later when Levy came home, she used the key that Gajeel gave her and it felt pretty good.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you so much for the follows, the faves and the reviews. It means a lot to me and I'm glad that you like this sequel.**

* * *

Gajeel woke up to the sound of Levy throwing up. She looked pale and tired when she came back to the bedroom. She crawled into bed and huddled under the covers.

"You okay, Shrimp?"

"Yeah... Maybe it's something I ate."

Gajeel doubted that. They had been eating the same food, so if she was sick because of something she ate, shouldn't he be sick too? He didn't say anything, but that disturbing feeling of worry he felt when Levy got dizzy came back.

Levy felt better after throwing up and the nausea disapeared. She thought about going up and getting ready for work, but she didn't want to leave the comfort of the bed. She must have fallen back to sleep, because the ringtone from her phone woke her up.

"Where are you?" Jet asked. "You're late. You're never late."

"I'm... home. I overslept. I'll be right there."

She seemed to have forgotten that she threw up just a while ago, She got dressed and grabbed a fruit on the way out.

"Hold it, Shrimp", Gajeel said and stopped her. "Where ya goin'?"

"To work, I'm late", Levy said like it was obvious.

"You sure you should be working?"

"I'm fine. It's just something I ate."

Gajeel didn't look like he believed her, but she felt fine. She was going to work and if she felt sick again she would go home.

* * *

Gajeel opened the door to the youth center. He had been there quite often lately. Lily wanted his help with this and that, and he didn't have anything better to do.

He still couldn't believe that Shrimp went to the book store this morning. If she was sick she should be at home resting. Not go to work and spend the day with customers, and Jet and Droy. He knew she asked him to help them move so that they could get to know each other, but so far it wasn't working that well. Neither of them had any interest in becoming friends or whatever.

Lily was standing behind the front desk with Kinana and talked to her about some documents he was holding. He pointed at something on the paper and looked at her to see if she understood.

Gajeel walked up to them and looked at the young guy who was standing a few feet away. He was clearly waiting for something, or someone, but at the same time he looked like he didn't want anyone to notice him. He had black shoulder long hair and his bangs covered his right eye. Gajeel knew he had never seen him before, but he seemed oddly familiar.

"Who's the new kid?" Gajeel asked and Lily looked up from the documents.

"That's Rogue. He's family just moved here. I don't know much about him yet, he doesn't say much. He's the one who broke the window. I'm gonna talk to him about it, but I guess that can wait."

They watched a guy with blond hair walk up to Rogue.

"What's your name? You're new here, right?" the blond asked.

"Yeah. I'm Rogue..."

"What kind of name is that?"

"I don't know. What's your name?"

"Sting."

"What kind of name is that?" Rogue asked

Gajeel and Lily looked at each other and smiled.

"I like you", Sting said. "Stick with me and you're gonna be fine."

"Hey Sting", Lily said. "We want him to come back, so don't scare him away."

"Yeah, yeah...", Sting said. "We're gonna shoot some hoops. You play?"

"Sure..."

Rogue turned to Lily as if to ask for his permission.

"Sure, go ahead", Lily said and motioned him to follow Sting. "I'll talk to you later."

Rogue followed Sting and glanced at Gajeel before they disapeared into one of the corridors. Lily finished his conversation with Kinanan and she left with the documents.

"What do you think?" Lily said when they were all gone.

"About Rogue? Someone's beating him."

"What makes you say that?"

"He was hoping no one would notice him standing here. And did you notice the way he flinched and that almost unnoticable turn he made when Sting came up to him? Like he was expecting to get hit."

"I noticed. He's been here a couple of times, but he keeps to himself and he barely says anything."

"So, what do you wamt me to do?" Gajeel said with a sigh and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I want you to help me keep an eye on him, try to make him open up and talk a little more. There's a lot of bottled up emotions in that kid, and he needs to let them out."

"I ain't no therapist", Gajeel objected.

"We got Laki for that", Lily said, "I think you got some things in common, and maybe he could need someone like you."

"You sure about that?" Gajeel asked doubtfully.

"Nah, you'll probably scare him off", Lily said. "Seriously though, you've been thorugh a lot and maybe you could use that to help that kid."

"I don't know..."

Gajeel wasn't so sure about it. There was still so much in his past that he didn't want to think about, things that he still tried to forget.

"I just want you to be around if he wants someone to talk to. If you can't do it, just let me know."

Lily knew it might be too much to ask of his friend. Gajeel had come a long way and he had changed a lot, but he still had issues with his past. He didn't let it control him anymore, but bringing it all up to the surface again might not be a good idea. Or maybe it was exactly what he needed.

Gajeel sighed again,

"So I don't really have to do anything? Fine."

"Good."

* * *

"Are you home?" Levy asked. "I forgot my keys."

"Jet and Droy wasn't there to remind ya?" Gajeel said.

"Yeah they were. I just noticed, I'm standing outside the building."

"Alright, hold on."

They hung up and Levy saw him open the window and drop his keys.

 _Too lazy to walk down thevstairs, huh?_

She unlocked the door and walked up to Gajeel's apartment. She spent more and more of her time there since she got the key.

She got into the apartment, gave Gajeel a kiss on the cheek and returned his keys.

"How's your day been?" she asked.

"I've been at the center with Lily."

"That's good. You know thst he's tricking you to work for him, right?"

Levy found some crackers and took them with her to the couch. She sat down, put her feet up and relaxed.

"Yeah, I know... It's not that bad, I guess. It don't have anything better to do."

He walked up to couch and noticed that Levy had fallen asleep. She was sitting up with her legs on the table and her head had fallen to the side. He moved her so that she was lying dow and put the white blanket with red hearts over her. He had no idea when it got into the apartment, but it had been there for a while, She spent more and more time there, and more and more of her stuff seemed to find their way in there too. Just small things. He wasn't ready to admit it out loud, but he didn't mind. He liked having her there, and her things.

He kissed her on the forehead and swiped a few strands of hair out of her eye. She must be really tired to fall asleep like this. He had never seen her take a nap after work before.

* * *

He watched her throw up and be unsually tired without saying anything. She said it was nothing, just some bug going around. But her illness, or whatever it was, made Gajeel feel more and more worried. It triggered something in his mind, something he wasn't ready to think about.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for the follows, the faves and the reviews. In this chapter Levy gets a surprise that's not really a surprise at all.**

* * *

Levy was convinced that her throwing up and being so tired was because of some bug going around. There was a lot of people coming into the book store every day so catching something would so strange. The thought of being pregnant never crossed her mind, not until she talked to Lucy.

They met at the coffee shop and they both ordered hot chocolate and a cupcake with chocolate frosting. Levy talked a little with Shagotte before she and Lucy sat down at their favorite table. Since she started dating Gajeel she was getting to know Lily and his girlfriend a little better too.

Levy was about to take a bite from her cupcake when the nausea kicked in. She put the cucpcake down and covered her mouth with her hand. The nausea disappeared as soon as it started. She looked up and noticed the concerned look on Lucy's face.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sure", Levy said. "I've been feeling a little off lately, but I'm fine. It's just some bug going around,"

"Are you sure about that?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're tired, nauseous... Come on, Lev...

"I told you it's some bug, I'll be better soon."

"Somehow I don't think so", Lucy said.

She wasn't sure how to continue. Levy was a smart girl, how could she not see it. All the symptoms where there, the dizzines, the nasuea and the fatigue.

"Maybe you should take a test", she suggested cautiously.

"What kind of test?"

"A pregnancy test..."

"I'm not pregnant", Levy stated.

"I think you are..."

"What makes you say that?" Levy wondered. She was not pregnant.

"Because I am, and you have the same symptoms as me..."

"You're pregnant?! That's great! Congratulations!"

Levy moved around the table and gave Lucy a big hug.

"I'm so happy for you guys!"

"Thanks! Natsu was so happy when we found out, me too of course. We've been waiting so long for this."

"He's gonna be a great dad. And you're gonna be a great mother."

"So will you."

"I'm not pregnant", Levy said. "I can't be."

Then she started thinking. When was the last time she had her period?

"I can't be pregnant", she repeated, but now she wasn't so sure anymore.

When they left the coffee shop they went to the drug store. Lucy bought a pregnancy test, Levy just couldn't do it. A million thoughts were running through her head.

She bad been so sure it was just a bug, she never thought it could be because she was pregnant. Why had she never thought about that. She knew what the symptoms were. And she hadn't gotten her period.

They went straight to Levy's apartment after buying the test. Lucy waited outside the bathroom while Levy took the test and anxiously waited for the result. She was afraid to find out. What was she going to do if she was pregnant?

Time was up and she peaked at the teast with one eye open. It was positive.

Levy left the bathroom and gave the test to Lucy.

"I can't be pregnant", she said. "We said we were going to take it slow. We've only been dating for two months, this is not slow."

She colapsed on the couch and Lucy sat down next to her.

"What are you going to do?" Lucy asked and hugged her.

"I don't know. I want kids, but not now. What if he doesn't want kids? How do I tell him?"

Lucy didn't know what to say. She and Natsu had been together for several years, they where engaged to be married and had talked about kids for a long time. It was all part of their plan of becoming a family. It was different with Levy and Gajeel. They had only been dating for a couple of months and didn't know each other that well yet.

"It's gonna be okay", she said. "I'm here if you need me."

"Thanks. I just don't know what to do."

Levy leaned against Lucy and she gave her another hug.

* * *

Gajeel changed the light bulb in the sealing and then climbed down the ladder. He spotted Rogue in the corner of his eye. The kid hung out with Sting most of the time but Gajeel found him following him around more and more and it started to be irritating. He never came up to him and he never said anything. If he wanted something, why couldn't he just say it?

Rogue came to the center almost every day now, and he always stayed as long as possible. He didn't want to go home. Though he tried to hide it, Gajeel had seen bruises. And he had figured out that the reason his bangs was falling over his eye was because of a scar he didn't want people to see.

They had only talked a couple of times, and Lily was right that he didn't say much. Rogue avoided revealing anything about himself and always changed the subject. He seemed to prefer not to talk. Sting had gotten him to open up a bit, but he easily closed up again.

There was something about Rogue that Gajeel just couldn't figure out. And he kind of remindef him of himself when he was younger. Though Gajeel had had a rougher attitude.

Gajeel put the ladder away and threw the light bulb in a box with other defect light bulbs. Then he walked to Lily's office and knocked on the door. He opened it and walked inside. Lily finished his phone call and put the phone away.

"How are things going?" he asked.

"I got a stalker and it's getting really annoying. He obviously wants something, so I wish he could just spit it out."

"Yeah, I know. We still don't know much about him. I wish we did. If we could just get him to talk I could help him. He's been working for me a bit, but sometimes, I don't know..."

"You can't help everybody."

"I can try."

"Not everybody who needs help wants it", Gajeel stated.

"I know. And you can only do so much, but still."

"I don't think I ever told you - and I will never say this again, but I'm thankful for what you've done for me."

"Getting sentimental, are we?" Lily said and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Never."

"Now go home to your girlfriend. I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

"Oi, Shrimp. You forgot yoyr keys in the door", Gajeel said as he walked inside his apartmemt.

She was standing by the kitchen island and looked down on a mug absentmindedly. She didn't seem to have heard him. He walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek

"You're supposed to put milk in that", he commented.

"Right", she said and poured milk into the mug.

Her mind was so occupied with her thoughts that she to seemed to have forgotten how to make hot chocolate.

"You okay, Shrimp?"

"Yeah, s-sure."

She could tell he didn't believe her and quickly looked away. She wasn't ready to tell him. She hadn't decided her own feelings about it yet. She knew she had to tell him, just not now.

She had trouble focusing on the movie they watched together later that night. She couldn't stop thinking about it, but she was no way near an answer. She didn't know what she wanted, and she still had no idea how to tell him she was pregnant.

* * *

 **I don't know, I think this chapter was better inside my head. I might go back and change it later, but I'll leave it like this for now.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Surprise, here's anoher update! There's a lemon in this chapter and another part of Gajeel's past is revealed. I have been waiting to show you this since I started this story. You might need tissues at the end of this chapter.**

* * *

Gajeel woke up with a jolt. His breath was heavy and his heart was beating as if it was trying to get out of his chest. He stared into the dark and tried to calm himself down. When his breathing was back to normal and his heartbeats had calmed down, he lay down in bed again.

He looked at the woman sleeping next to him and for a second he thought it was the woman in his dream. No, not a dream, a memory. Then he saw that it was Levy lying next to him and he let out a sigh of relief.

It was Levy's condition that triggered the dream, the memory. This time of year was always hard for him, but he had managed to surpress it. He had put it in the far back of his mind and locked it away for a long time, but now it was all back at the surface again. He couldn't hekp to think that what happened to his mother now was happening to Levy.

He lay next to Levy and watched her sleep. In this short amount of time she had become very important to him, more than he could ever have imagined. He tucked a strand of her behind her ear and she stirred in her sleep. She murmured something he couldn't here and moved closer to hhim. He put his arm around her and kissed her gently on her lips. She moved even closer, her body was responding to his touch though she was still on the verge of sleeping.

He gave her another soft kiss and she parted her lips and kissed him back. She put her hand on the back of his head and entangled her fingers in his hair. It was so much longer than hers, but she liked it that way. She loved running her fingers through his thick hair.

Gajeel deepened the kissed and she let out a soft moan. He kissed his way down her neck and down to her collarbone. One hand was placed on her back and the other one fondled her breast. He rubbed his thumb over her nipple and put the other nipple in his mouth. She gasped when she felt his tounge.

The last couple of weeks had made her more sensitive and his every touch filled her with a burning desire. She pressed herself against him and rubbed her lower body against his hardening member. She wanted him to take her now.

But Gajeel took his time. He moved his hand down her butt and slowly found his way to her inner thigh. He teased her before he finally moved his finger inside her. She moaned and pulled him in for another kiss. She moved her hips to match the rythm of his finger. She was so close. Gajeel kept her on the edge and when she finally was allowed to let go she dug her fingers into the mattress and let out a loud moan against his chest.

When the last wave of the orgasm faded she reached for him and he positioned himself inside her. She wrapped her legs around him, pushing him on, making him go deeper. He couldn't hold back anymore and released himself inside her with a groan.

He lay down next to her and they looked at each other with a satisfied smile. They hadn't been together like this for a while because of Levy's neausea and the fact that she was so tired all the time. This sure made up for it.

Levy cuddled up against him and he wrapped his arm around her. She fell back asleep and once again Gajeel stared into the dark. His mind started to wander again and he couln't sleep. He couldn't close his eyes withouth picturing that hospital bed with him and his mother in it.

No! He didn't want to think about it, he couldn't. It still hurt too much.

Gajeel left the bed, careful not to wake up Levy. He couldn't be here, he had to do something to clear his mind. He got dressed and left the apartment. Outside he took a deep breath of the fresh air and put his hands in his pockets. It was in the middle of the night and a little chilly, but he didn't mind.

He had no idea where he was going. He was walking without thinking about the direction, and stopped outside the youth center. He looked at the building for a long time before he walked around to the back and unlocked the door. Lucky for him there was no alarm.

He walked down the stairs to the gym and looked around. He didn't bother to turn on the lights. He took of his jackt and headed towards one of the punching bags. Every hit was filled with bottled up emotions. Memories and voices from his childhood passed through his mind.

 _Come here, Sweetie. Everything is gonna be alright._

 _Damn brat. What the hell do you think you're doing?!_

 _How could you?! It's all your fault!_

The hospital bed. The devastating moment when everything changed.

Gajeel fell to his knees. He watched the punching bag return from the last hit, and he did nothing to stop it.

* * *

 _Gajeel's mother had been sick for a long time. She tried to stay positive and told Gajeel that everything was going to be alright. He wanted to believe her so badly. But the truth was that she was only getting worse. Her treatment made her very tired and she spend a lot of time in her bed sleeping. She was neaseous and threw up a lot. She didn't have an apetite and only ate because she didn't want Gajeel to worry about her._

 _She didn't have energy to play with him anymore, but the days she was able to sit up they sat together on the couch watching cartoons and movies on the TV, they told each other stories and lay puzzles._

 _Gajeel didn't want to leave her out of his sight for longer than necessary and the days she spent in bed he wanted to spend there too. He lay beside her and she stroke his hair and hugged him tight._

 _And then... they didn't do these things anymore. She was hospitalized, and too week to even be sitting up more than a few minutes at a time. Gajeel spent as much time as he was allowed beside her in that hospital bed. His father was there too, holding his wife's hand and praying for more time with her._

 _One day, before any of them were ready, it was over. Gajeel's father had gone to get a cup of coffee. Gajeel had fallen asleep next to his mother. She had stroked his hair and held him tight and he had fallen asleep._

 _When he woke up she was gone. She had died holding his hand, while he was asleep._

 _When Gajeel's father came back and found out what happened he dropped his coffee on the floor from the chock. He was angry and yelled at Gajeel._

" _It's all your fault! If you hadn't fallen a sleep she could still be alive! They could have saved her! It's your fault she's dead!"_

 _Gajeel believed him. He was just a little kid, only five years old, and he believed him._

* * *

 **Poor Gajeel. Leave a review and let me know what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Finally a new chapter. The last chapter kind of wrote itself, this one was a little more difficult. Here it is, I hope you like it.**

* * *

"Gajeel?" Levy said and sat up on the couch when she heard the apartment door open and close.

She woke up in the middle of the night and noticed that Gajeel was gone. She got worried and waited up for him, but he didn't come home. Eventually she fell asleep on the couch. Now it was early in the morning and she would soon get ready to go to work.

"Where were you?" she asked. "I was so worried."

She got up from the couch and walked towards him, but stopped. He had a hint of a bruise on his face and his knuckles where sore and bloody.

"What happened?" she asked worridly and put one of his hands in hers.

She gently stroked the skin on his hand before he jerked it back.

"Don't worry about it", he said flatly and went to the bathroom to wash his hands.

Levy followed him and watched him from the doorway.

"Of course I'm worried!" she said. "I woke up and you were gone. I waited for you for hours!"

"I was at the center", he said without looking at her.

He still washed his hands. It stung when the water fell over his sore knuckles. He watched the blood stained water wash away and fall down into the drain..

"In the middle of the night? What were you doing there?"

"Had a fight with punching bag..."

"A punching... You broke into the center to hit on a punching bag?"

"Technically I didn't break in. I had a key this time."

"This time?"

He turned off the water and dryed his hands with a towel.

"Gajeel, please talk to me. What's going on?"

He turned around and looked at her, avoiding eye contact. He reached out to touch her cheek, but let the hand fall down to his side again. Then he left the bathroom, walked to the bedroom and closed to the door behind him. It was clear that he wanted to be alone.

Levy followed him out of the bathroom and sank down onto the couch. What happened during the night? How did they go from last night to this?

* * *

Gajeel was still in the bedroom when Levy left for work. He was lying on the bed, his head rested on his folded arms and stared into the ceiling. He had not expected her to be worried. When he left the apartment in the middle of the night all he could think about was that he had to do something to clear his mind. He never thought that she would be worried about him. People never worried about him when he was growing up. He still wasn't used to her caring about him.

She wanted him to tell her what happened. What was he going to say? He couldn't share this with her. He didn't know how.

* * *

"We need to talk", Lily said when Gajeel came to the center later that day.

Lily was standing infront of him with his arms folded and a firm lock on his face. Gajeel sighed in respons and waited for him to continue.

"We have a couple of kids staying here at the moment. They saw you last night. You were quite scary."

Lily waited for an answer. He didn't get one.

"What the hell is going on?"he wanted to know.

"Nothin'."

"You're knuckles says otherwise."

"So I took few punches and I forgot to put on the gloves."

"You know that I know that you're lying," Lily stated, his arms still folded.

Gajeel sighed. He just wanted to be left slone. He started walking, but Lily stopped him.

"Talk to me."

"I said it's nothin'."

He started walking again, but Lily wouldn't let him pass.

"Come on, man. It's me you're talking to."

Lily looked straight into Gajeel's eyes until Gajeel looked away with another sigh.

"Something's wrong with Levy", he heard himself say.

"What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know. She won't tell me."

Gajeel didn't want to have this conversation anymore. He pushed past Lily and this time he let him go. He walked down to the locker rooms and hit his hand into one of the lockers. _Dammit!_ Of course someone had seen him. He knew kids stayed here sometimes. He had done it to.

He had snuck into the center a couple of times when he didn't have anywhere else to go. He thought no one knew about it, until Lily confronted him. But not in the way he expected.

"If you need somewhere to crash, just let me know. We have a few rooms available here where you can stay whenever you want to."

At first he thought it felt a little weird, but other kids stayed there too and no one said anything, it wasn't anything unusual about it. They were all in the same situation.

Gajeel fnished his chores in the locker rooms and continued to the gym. The bloody punching bag was still hanging there, and drops of blood was on the floor. Of course Lily left it for him to clean it up.

Every hit on that punching bag had been filled with emotions. And even though his hands became bloody he kept hiting the punching bag, letting the pain from the sore knuckles mix with the pain from his memories.

He knew it wasn't his fault, he knew that. As an adult he knew that, somewhere deep inside he knew that. But that didn't stop the guilt he felt for being asleep when she died. He had been sleeping next to her and he didn't notice that she stopped breathing.

He felt the anger and guilt build up inside him again. He had believed in his fathers words for so many years. He took a few hits on the punching bag and ignored the pain from his knuckles.

If Levy... He refused to go through that again.

He cleaned up the gym and then walked back upstairs. From the corner of his eye he noticed Rogue. The kid was walking in his direction, but when he noticed that Gajeel was looking at him he stopped. He looked at him for a moment as if he thought about something to say, and then he turned and and walked in another direction.

Gajeel was tired of this. He caught up with Rogue and pushed him against the wall.

"Stop following me around, it's getting creepy. If ya got something to say just spit it out. I'm sick of this."

Rogue stared at him with fear in his eyes.

"I... I just... I..." he stuttered, unable to make a sentence.

Gajeel felt to strong hands on his shoulders that pulled him away from Rogue. Lily glared at him.

"Go home, Gajeel. Sort things out, and then maybe you can come back."

Gajeel glared back and sighed. He looked over his shoulder at Rogue. The kid's eyes was still filled fear, but he met his gaze.

Gajeel shook his head, gave Lily a look and left the center.

* * *

 **We're slowly getting somewhere. I don't want to get stuck in this, and I will move forward in the next chapter. Please leave a review and let me know what you think about this.**

 **Also, If you haven't read my one shot My immortal maybe you want to. I would love to see more people reading it and maybe leave a review.**


	9. Chapter 9

Gajeel didn't go home straight away. He took a walk around town with the thoughts running through his head. He had pushed Rogue against the wall without thinking. He had grabbed his t-shirt and pushed him against the wall and he wasn't even sure why he did it. He was tired of the kid following him around without saying anything, but that was no reason to act like that.

He had been the one pushed against the wall, more than once. One time he had been staying in a foster home where the father of the family was drunk. All the time. He hadn't been sober for more than five minutes during the weeks Gajeel stayed there. The man had a bad temper and was abusive and everyone in the family was afraid of him. Except for Gajeel. One day he had enough and confronted him. The man pushed him against the wall and pressed his forearm against his throat so he couldn't breathe.

" _You fucking idiot! Who do you think you are? You have no right to tell me how to behave in my own house! You don't even belong here, you bastard!"_

The man was angry and the alcohol boosted his already bad temper, but he wasn't very strong and Gajeel didn't have much trouble taking him down. He left the house after that and spent a couple of nights at the center. He refused to go to another foster home.

Rogue probably needed the center as much as he did at that age. Hopefully he didn't scare him away. Not that he cared….

* * *

When Gajeel came home Levy was already there. Throwing up again. Gajeel took a deep breath and marched to the bathroom. He flung the door open.

"Are you sick? You have to tell me if you're sick."

"I'm not sick", Levy said and threw up again.

"If you're not sick, then…"

"I'm not sick", Levy said.

She wiped her mouth and flushed the toilet. Then she washed her hands and drank some water before she turned around and faced Gajeel. His arms were folded over his chest and he frowned at her,

"I'm pregnant."

She saw a mix of emotions cross his face but she had no idea what he was thinking. He closed his eyes and breathed out. He let his arms fall to the sides.

"I'm so relieved", he said.

"Relieved?"

"I thought you were sick. I thought… you were…"

His voice got lower and Levy almost didn't hear the last part.

"You were thinking the worst weren't you? Well, it's not like people die from being nauseous and tired."

Then she saw his face, and the pain she saw there made her feel a cold chill down her spine.

"Do they?"

Gajeel rubbed his face and let out a heave sigh.

"My mom. You reminded me about my mom."

He had never mentioned his mother before. He had never mentioned either of his parents before. He just didn't talk about them.

"What happened to your mom?" Levy asked softly, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"She died."

Levy followed Gajeel to the couch in the living room and they both sat down. Gajeel leaned forward and supported his elbows on his knees. He rested his chin on his folded hands.

"Mom died when I was five. She got sick. Her treatment made her throw up and she was very tired."

Gajeel told her how close he and his mother had been. He told her what happened, he told her how she died while he was sleeping.

Levy had tears falling down her face the whole time. Her heart was breaking for him. He didn't have to tell her about the guilt he felt, she could feel it. It was so unfair. No child should have to go through something like that, and his father… His father should have been there for him.

"I am so sorry", Levy said. "It wasn't your fault, it wasn't."

She hugged him tight and leaned her head against his shoulder. He was so tense, but he seemed to relax the longer she held him.

"I am so sorry."

He put his hand on her arm and she hugged him even tighter. She wasn't letting go. He wasn't alone, she was there. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her soft hair.

He took a deep breath and leaned back without letting her go.

"You're pregnant", he said.

"I am."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I tried. I just didn't know how. I wasn't even sure how I felt about it."

"How do you feel now?"

"I.. I want kids. I wasn't planning on getting pregnant now, but I want this baby."

"I know nothing about being a father."

"I don't know what it's like to be a mom, but we'll figure it out together."

Gajeel didn't say anything. He was terrified. A baby. What was he going to do with a baby? Everything was so messed up. Everything he had been through, how was he ever going to be a good father?

* * *

Later when they were lying in bed Levy was staring into the dark. She couldn't sleep. She was still heartbroken over what Gajeel told her. To think that he had carried that alone, the guilt he had felt for something that wasn't his fault. What kind of father did he have who didn't support him when he needed him the most?

She turned her head and looked at him. He was sleeping and he seemed more relaxed that he had done in weeks. Maybe it was a result of finally opening up to her. And that she finally told him what was going on. The last couple of weeks must have been a nightmare for him.

She still wasn't sure what he felt about the baby. It was so soon. If they had been more careful she wouldn't be pregnant, but she was and they had to deal with it. She didn't want to do it alone, he wanted to share it with him. Maybe he just needed some time.


	10. Chapter 10

**I wanted to post this sooner, but I haven't had as much time to write as I wanted to, and I also had a bit of a writers block. But here it is, and you will find out something about Rogue.**

* * *

Gajeel woke up the next morning and felt rested. He had slept better than he had done in weeks and it felt like a weight was lifted off of him. Levy wasn't sick. She was pregnant, but she wasn't sick. He still felt worried, but it was a different kind of worry.

He told Levy about his mother. It was one of the hardest things he had ever done. Opening up to someone and sharing a part of him like that was scary, but she had listened and she had shared his pain. She understood why he felt guilty about what happened, but she didn't judge him. It felt really good to have Levy's support and understanding. One more thing that he wasn't used to.

Gajeel stroked a few strands of hair away from Levy's face and kissed her forehead. She was really something. Something very special. He couldn't explain his feelings for her. He had never felt this way about anyone before. The only person he had ever loved was his mother, and he had only been a little kid back then. This was different, very different. Good different, but he was still trying to figure out what it meant to him and where it would lead.

He kissed her forehead again and rolled out of bed, careful not to wake her up. He got dressed and walked to the kitchen. He made toast, coffe for himselt and hot chocolate for Levy. He had really changed, making breakfast for the girl he l...

Levy came out from the bedroom and hid a yawn behind her hand. She was wearing one of his t-shirts, she liked sleeping in them, and her blue hair was a mess. Gajeel felt his heart skip a beat. If only she knew how sexy she was.

Levy yawned again and when she came closer Gajeel pulled her close and kissed her. He loved the way she tasted, the feel of her skin when he touched her, and the way her small body fit so well with his bigger body. They just looked at each other for a while and Levy couldn't help but smile.

"Is this for me?" Levy said and reached for the mug with hot chocolate.

"How ya feelin'?" he asked and took a sip from his coffee.

"Shouldn't I ask you that?"

Gajeel shrugged and Levy looked at him thoughtfully. He didn't seem as tense as before, like telling her about a part of his past had changed something in him. And it probably did. It was still so much to learn about him, and she would.

"I'm fine", Levy said. "I'm just tired. I didn't get much sleep."

"Something's wrong?"

She could tell from sound of his voice that even if he hadn't decided about the baby yet, he still worried something would happen to it.

"No, nothing's wrong", she assured him. "I just thought about what you told me, and... It's so unfair, I just..."

Gajeel wrapped his arms around her and leaned his chin on the top of her head. The way she cared for him meant more than he could tell.

* * *

Gajeel took a deep breath and opened the door to the youth center. Maybe he should have stayed away longer. Maybe Lily was gonna kick him out. Only one way to find out.

Lily was standing at the front desk talking to Kinana. Rogue and Sting where close by talking about something and they all looked at him when he walked in.

 _Great_ , Gajeel thought.

"Back already?" Lily commented.

"Yeah."

"Did you work things out?"

"Sort of," Gajeel said.

"Come to my office. I want to talk to you."

"Sure", Gajeel said.

He walked past the front desk and on the way he turned to Rogue.

"Don't go anywhere. We're gonna talk later."

Rogue nodded and Gajeel followed Lily to his office. Lily closed the door behnd them and turned to Gajeel.

"I'm surprised to see you back already. What happened?"

"Shrimp's pregnant."

Gajeel sat down on the chair next to him and Lily walked to the other side of his desk and sat down on his chair.

"Congratulations?" he said.

"I'm not sure yet", Gajeel said and fidgeted with the keys in the pocket of his jacket. "I thoguht... I thought she was sick. She's been tired and throwing up and she... she reminded me so much of my mother."

"So that's why you've been acting like jerk lately, more than usual I mean. I understand, I can't imagine what it's like to go through that. But, I can't have my staff acting like you did. The kids here have enough of that at home or at school. I thoguht you could handle this, but if you can't..."

"I can. I will."

"But if you can't". Lily continued," there's no hard feelings. We just go back to how it used to be."

"Fine. Can I go now? I got work to do. And that kid's probably waiting for me."

"Yeah, you can go. You know something? I'm glad you're talking to him. The old you would never have done that."

"Yeah, whatever", Gajeel said and left Lily's office.

Lily was right. The younger version of Gajeel would never have talked to someone he'd been in a fight with, he would never try to explain anything. He was too angry at the world to do anything like that.

Gajeel found Rogue playing basketball with Sting and some other guys. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame. Rogue was a good basketball player and more confident than Gajeel had seen him so far. But then he noticed Gajeel and seemed to become a little nervous again.

Gajeel gestured for them to continue the game and waited at the doorway until they where finished. Then he motioned for Rogue to follow him.

"So..." Gajeel said when they stopped. "It's been kinda rough lately and I kinda took it out on you. Which I shouldn't. But you shouldn't be sneaking around like a freaking shadow, so if you got something to say, just say it!"

"Well, I..." Rogue began and looked down on his feet. "I don't know how to say this, but..."

He rubbed the back of his head and took a deep breath. He opened his mouth to speak, but not a word came out.

Gajeel looked at him and folded his arms.

"What?"

"I..."

Rogue took another deep breath. There was a hint of red on his cheeks and he seemed a bit flustered.

"I want you to teach me how to fight", he finally said.

For some reason Gajeel doubted that was what he was going to say.

" I ain't no teacher, kid. And I ain't teaching you to fight so you can impress your friends."

"It's not about that", Rogue said. "It's... Look, I know you're a good fighter. I know you fought your way through your school years and I know you fought those guys that were hitting on your girl at Fairy Tail."

"Is that so", Gajeel said and observed the young man standing infront of him, he seemed a little more confident again.

"like I said, I..."

"Please."

Rogue looked him into the eyes and got a determined look on his face. He folded his arms and Gajeel noticed the way he moved his left shoulder. Someone else probably wouldn't have noticed it, but Gajeel did. Come to think of it, he did the same thing when he was playing basketball.

Gajeel hooked his finger to the neckline of Rogue's t-shirt and pulled it to the side.

"Hey!" Rogue ojected.

A bruise in the shape of a hand covered his left shoulder.

 _Dammit!_ Gajeel thought. _Even the bruises look familiar_.

He let go of the t-shirt and took a step back.

"You have to tell someone", he said.

"No! I can't. If I tell someone it's only gonna get worse. I'm gonna be 18 soon..."

Gajeel sighed. If the abuser found out that someone knew about the abuse it could get even worse. Rogue could get his own apartment when he turned 18, but that didn't mean he would get away from the abuse.

"Fine, I'll teach you to fight", he said. "But only so you can defend yourself if necessary."

Wow, he rally had changed. He, who used to fight for the sake of fighting, stood here and told this kid to fight only if it was necessary.

"Thanks", Rogue said and relaxed a little.

"Don't thank me yet."

* * *

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this. Rogue is an important character in this story, at least he will be. I just haven't figured out how fast I will move on from here.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you so much for the follows, the favorites and the reviews! It really means a lot to me and inspires me to keep writing. This chapter took longer than I expected, because I wasn't sure how to continue from the last one. But here we are with another part of Gajeel's past and someone finally gets to reveal that secret he's been dying to tell.**

* * *

 _Gajeel tried not to cringe at his fathers grip of his shoulder. It hurt as hell, but he was determined not to show it. He wasn't going to give him the satisfaction._

 _His father was very angry at him. He had picked him up at the prinipal's office, again. He had dragged Gajeel out of the officed by the shoulder and scoulded him with a low, resolute voice. He hadn't let go of his shoulder and Gajeel could feel the fingernail digging into his skin._

 _Gajeel's father didn't let his raging emotions show and to the people passing by they looked like father and son taking a walk together. Nobody knew about the pain caused by the hand on the shoulder._

 _His father didn't let go until the came home. He shoved Gajeel into his room and slammed the door shut._

" _I've had it with you! I had to leave work to pick you up at the principal, again! I ain't takin' anymore shit from you, kid! You do as I say. You don't even leave your room without my permission! You hear that?!"_

 _Gajeel made an ugly face and showed him his middle fingers. Luckily he didn't see them, the door was in the he would have been punished. He got off easy, it could have been a lot worse._

 _The shoulder still hurt. Gajeel removed the t-shirt and looked at the darkening bruise with the shape of his father's hand._

 _Great. That's gonna be hard to explain. "I fell down the stairs" wasn't going to cover it this time._

 _Gajeel sighed and sat down on the unmade bed. He removed the covers and lied down. He wrapped the covers around him and pulled his legs up into fetal position. He might as well try to get some sleep._

 _He closed his eyes and saw a mental image of his smiling mother._

" _I miss you. I wish you were here."_

 _A single tear fell down from the corner of his eye._

* * *

"Gajeel, are you even listening to me?"

"Mhm."

"What did I say? Gajeel!"

"What?"

He turned his head and saw her pouting.

"You're not listening."

"What?" he said again.

"I've been saying a lot of things for the last couple of minutes, but what I was saying just now was that Jet and Droy want me to come over and watch a movie tomorrow. You can come to if you want."

She sounded hopeful, and he knew he was going to disappoint her. He wasn't going to spend more time than necessary with those dorks.

"Nah, you go. They're your friends, not mine."

"Yeah. But…"

Levy sighed. She knew he wasn't going to change his mind. She tried to make them get along, but maybe that just wasn't happening.

He seemed to drift off again and she put her hand on his shoulder.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nah, it's nothin'."

"Are you sure? You can talk to me."

He met her worried gaze and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"I said it's nothing."

He had told her about his mother, but he wasn't ready to share this with her. He left the couch and walked to the bathroom. He needed a shower. He took off his clothes and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He looked at the shoulder were the bruise used to be and he could almost see it take shape on the skin.

Why was he thinking about this now? Because of Rogue. He still hadn't figured him out, but it was something about him that made him remember his past. And he didn't want to remember. He sighed and got into the shower. He let the hot water wash away the bad memories.

When he was finished and reached for a towel and dried himself with it. Then he put some clothes on and walked back to the living room. Levy had fallen asleep on the couch. She was lying on the side with her legs pulled up a little and her hand rested protectively on her stomach.

A life was growing inside of her. Something happened inside Gajeel when he watched her, a feeling he couldn't put into words. He kneeled down next to the couch and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. He lifted her up and carried her to the bedroom. He gently put her down on the bed and sat down next to her. He pulled up the covers and kissed her on the cheek. He lay down next to her and wrapped his arm around her. She murmured something and moved a little closer to him. He rested his chin on the top of her head and sighed. He listened to her slow breathing and felt more relaxed than he had done in a long time.

* * *

Levy was nervous. Even more nervous than she thought she would be. And the nervousness increased with every step she took towards Jet's and Droy's apartment. She was going to tell them about the pregnancy. That worried her more than telling her parents.

She had told them earlier that day. They had taken it really well. They had only met Gajeel a couple of times, and though they didn't really know him they seemed to like him. They worried a little about the fact that the pregnancy happened so fast, but they were looking forward to become grandparents and they were happy for them. Levy wasn't sure Jet and Droy would be. As a matter of fact she was sure they wouldn't be.

She reached the floor where they lived and rang the doorbell. She took a deep breath and waited for the door to open. Droy opened the door and smiled at her.

"Hi Levy. You didn't happen to run into the pizza guy did you? I'm so hungry."

"You're always hungry," Levy said and smiled back at him. "I'm sure he'll be here any minute now."

They got inside and Levy took another deep breath. She might as well get it over with.

"I have something to tell you."

"What did he do?" Jet asked with an accusing tone in his voice on his way out from the kitchen.

" _He_ didn't do anything," Levy said. " _We_ did. I'm pregnant."

"No, you're not," Jet said and folded his arms. "You've only been dating for…"

"Stop it, Jet," Levy said. I am pregnant, and how long we have been dating is none of your buisness. This wasn't something we planned, but it happened."

"That's stupid. You know better than that."

"I can`t believe you. This is exactly why I worried about telling you."

"Well, you were smarter before you met that jerk."

"Smarter before… My god, I can't believe we`re doing this again!"

"Calm down, Levy", Droy said and turned to Jet. "And Jet, honey, please shut up. We are not risking our friendship over this. I am not going through that again."

Droy turned to Levy again and took her hands.

"We worry about you, you know that. And Gajeel is.. well… But if this is what you want, then we're happy for you. Right, Jet?

"Sure,"Jet said with a sigh.

He let his arms fall to his sides and walked to the door to let the delivery guy in. He paid him and brought the pizza to the living room. Droy got the movie started and they sat down in silence. At first nobody said anything but as the movie got closer to the end the tension eased and they started talking about babies and baby names.

"You're going to love having that kid crawling all over you and calling you Uncle Jet, don't deny that," Droy said.

Jet sighed. But he was probably right. He wasn't as excited about the baby as Droy, but maybe it wouldn't be that bad. Even though Gajeel was the father.

* * *

Levy walked into Fairy Tail together with Gajeel and Lily. Shagotte would join them soon. They were meeting the gang and Levy could see they were already at their table. Mira caught her attention by waving at her and she walked up to the bar to talk to her.

"I haven't seen you around for a while," Mira said. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I haven't been feeling well lately, but I'm fine."

Levy regretted it immediately. Mira put her hands together and smiled brightly.

"No, Mira! No, no, no! You can't tell anyone!"

"Tell anyone what?" a man's voice asked behind Levy and she turned around.

"Hi, Laxus," Mira said with another bright smile. "When did you get back in town?"

"Yesterday. So, what do guy have to do to get a drink around here?"

Mira smiled and motioned him to follow her. That was Levy's excuse to leave. Why did she say that? She knew the way Mira's mind worked. She could only hope that Mira wouldn`t tell anyone. She turned around and saw Mira wink at her while pouring a drink for Laxus and she breathed out. It seemed like her secret was safe for now.

Another secret was finally about to be revealed.

"Can I please tell them now, Lucy?" Natsu pleaded when everyone was sitting at the table. "Please?"

Lucy pretended to think about it. The she nodded and smiled.

"Yes, you can."

"Alright! Everybody listen up! I got an announcement to make!"

Natsu got up so fast his chair fell to the floor, but he didn't notice.

"We're pregnant! Lucy's having a baby! My baby!"

 _At least he's not standing on the table and yelling so the whole bar can hear him_ , Lucy thought and blushed.

"Congratulations!"

Everyone was happy for them and they all wanted to give them a hug. It was pretty busy around the table for a moment before everyone calmed down again. Gajeel watched Levy thoughtfully and wondered when and how she would tell them about her pregnancy. Was he ready for that?

Levy had a feeling what he was thinking. She gave him a soft smile and leaned against him. She wasn't ready to tell them yet. Besides, this was Natsu's and Lucy's moment and she didn't want to take that away from them.


	12. Chapter 12

"Focus, kid!"

"I am!" Rogue said through clenched teeth and dodged Gajeel's punch in the last second.

But he wasn't fast enough. He could feel the fabric of the glove brush over the skin on his cheek. He stumbled backwards a few steps, regained balance and lunged at Gajeel. But Gajeel was prepared and stopped Rogue's punch by grabbing hold of his fist. Rogue fought to get loose and Gajeel let him go. Rogue removed his gloves and dropped them on the floor.

"You're getting better, kid," Gajeel said and removed his own gloves.

Rogue was actually a pretty good fighter, but he needed to improve his technique and learn when to hit and when to focus on defence. But fightng like this was different from fighting for your live.

"Thanks. But stop calling me kid. I do have a name, you now."

"Yeah, I know."

They left the boxing ring and walked towards the locker rooms. Gajeel noticed Rogue glancing at him but neither of them said anything. When they reached their lockers Gajeel grabbed his water bottle and drank almost half of it at once.

"How are things?" he asked and put the water bottle on the bench.

Rogue was quiet for a while. He used his towel to remove the sweat on his forehead.

"Fine, I guess. I mean… Actually he hasn't been home that much lately."

"Out drinking?" Gajeel guessed and Rogue nodded.

"Yeah. I hear him when he comes home. He probably thinks I doesn't, but I do. He's not always alone."

"And by not alone you mean?"

"Women. It's like he forgets I'm there," Rogue said and shuddered.

He leaned forward, rested his forearms on his knees.

"My mom died a couple of months ago. It's iike he doesn't care."

"Sorry to hear that," Gajeel said. "Maybe he does, maybe that's what all the drinking is about."

" _It's your fault she's dead. If you hadn't fallen asleep she might still be alive. You bastard. I'm done with you. If it wasn't for you…"_

Rogue shook his head to make it go away.

"I doubt it," Rogue said.

"Sometimes people do really stupid things when they're hurt or grieving."

 _Wow. Do you listen to yourself?_ Gajeel said to himself.

"How was it for you?" Rogue asked and looked at him for a second before he blushed and looked away.

 _How the hell does he know anything about that?_ Gajeel thought, but he didn't get a chance to say anything.

"Rogue, are you in there?" Sting asked and opened the door to the locker room.

"What is it?" Rogue asked and stood up.

"Your dad. He's talking to Lily now but he wanted me to find you."

"What is he doing here?" Rogue asked to himself. "He's never been here before."

He hurried upstairs with Sting and Gajeel finished what was left of his water bottle before he followed them. When he got closer to the front desk he saw a man talking to Lily. He was tall with dark hair and a fit body. Gajeel could only see his profile but it was something familiar about him.

The man turned to Rogue and put his hand on his shoulder a they left the center together. Gajeel froze. The hair, the man's back, his posture. It couldn't be. I couldn't.

"Hey, what the matter?" Lily asked and stood next to him. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"I think I did."

Gajeel looked at the front door where Rogue and his dad had left. Lily looked at him and frowned.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah… So that was Rouge's dad, huh?"

"Yeah, he's… uhm…"

Lily changed the subject.

"How's the training going?"

"Good, I guess. He's opening up a bit, he's not as standoffish as he used to be. He`s a pretty good fighter."

"How about you?" Lily asked.

"I'm.. okay. It's okay."

It was hard being constantly reminded about the past, but he was handeling it. It was difficult to be around someone that reminded him so much of himself when he was younger, but he was starting to care for the kid and he wanted to help him somehow. Maybe Lily was right.

* * *

Levy put down the bags with groceries and reached down her pocket to take out her keys, They weren't their. She sighed and called Gajeel.

"Hi, Gajeel. Are you home? I forgot my keys…"

"Turn around."

She did and saw him walking towards the apartment building.

"Hi," she said and kissed him.

"Hi."

He held her close for a moment and then opened the door. Levy picked up the groceries before he had the chance to and walked inside.

"Are you sure you should be doing that?" Gajeel asked.

"What do you mean?"

"The bags are heavy and we're going to the fifth floor."

"You can take them if you want to," Levy said.

"I will".

Gajeel took the bags and walked up the stairs with Levy following behind him. She thought about how inconvenient it would be to live like this with a baby. Maybe they should start looking for another apartment, or maybe even a house. Levy stopped herself. She still wasn't sure what Gajeel wanted. They didn't talk about it. They should talk about it.

They put the groceries away and Levy started making dinner. They didn't say much, they were both lost in their own thoughts. Levy watched Gajeel set the table. She wanted their lives to be like this. She didn't plan on going anywhere, she wanted to be by his side. He meant so much to her. The more he let her in, the more she loved him. She loved him. She hadn't told him yet.

"What are you thinking?" Gajee asked and wrapped her into a hug from behind.

"Nothing special," she said and turned around to kiss him. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving."

* * *

After dinner Levy took a bath. It was so nice to lie down in the warm water. She leaned back and relaxed with her eyes closed. She put her hands on her stomach. It was still flat, but the pregnancy was beginning to show. She wondereed how long she would be able to hide it. She was a petite woman.

She wondered what the baby would look like. Would it look like her or more like Gajeel? Whould he or she have her blue hair or his black hair. Her eyes or his? Did she want to know if it was a boy or a girl, or did she want it to be a surprise? What did Gajeel want?

Levy sighed and washed her hair. When she was finished she wrapped a towel around her body and dried her hair with another smaller towel. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her blue locks framed her face and her bangs almost reached her eyes.

" _You should wear your hair like this more often. It's…"_

" _I look like a troll doll. My hair is in my eyes and…"_

 _Gajeel kissed her, a quick kiss to make her stop talking. He pulled back before Levy had a chance to respond and walked back to the coffee. It happened so fast Levy was barely sure it really happened._

It was the first time he kissed her, a kiss that surpised them both. Levy smiled at the memory. She still thought she looked like a troll doll with her hair like this.

She opened the door and left the bathroom still wearing nothing but the towel. Gajeel was leaning over the kitchen island and was typing something in his phone. A glass of water was standing next to him on the counter. He looked up and put the phone away without taking his eyes off her. He bit his lower lip and Levy could see the desire in his eyes.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me looking like this?" he said with a low, husky voice and walked towards her.

Levy felt her heart skip a beat and butterflies were flying around in her stomach.

"Tell me," she said and looked into his eyes.

Gajeel closed the distance between them and cupped her cheeks with his hands. He kissed her, hungry, craving, and she parted her lips to let his tounge ente her mouth. His hands moved over her naked shoulders and down to her lower back. He pressed her against him and she could feel the bulge already growing inside his pants.

He slowly moved her towards the bedroom without taking his hands or lips off of her. When her legs bumped against the bed they stopped and he removed her towel. He kneeled infront of her and grabbed her hips. He kissed her stomach and slowly moved further down. Levy placed her hands on his broad shoulders and gasped when she felt his fingers move inside of her and then the licking from his tonuge.

She felt weak in the knees and he lifted her up and sat her down on the edge of the bed. His fingers returned to her sensitive spot and the other hand caressed her breast while his tonuge licked and nibbed on her nipple on the other one.

Levy dug her fingers into his shoulders and tilted her head back as she moaned. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close as he pushed her over the edge. She let him go enough to crawl backwards over the bed, pulling him with her. She lay down and he removed his shirt and hovered over her. He leaned down and pressed his lips agains hers. Then he trailed kisses down the side of her neck to her collarbone. She spread her legs to let him inside and he groaned as he entered. He moved slow and steady at first, but she wrapped her legs around his waist and urged him to go faster. He released himself inside of her and kissed her. He rolled off her and lay down next to her. His eyes met hers and he leaned in to kiss her again.

She leaned her head on his chest and he put his arms around her. They lay there listening to each other breathing.

"I need a glass of water", Levy said after a while.

She reached for her towel and wrapped it around her. She started walking towards the door but Gajeel grapped her wrist and pulled her back to the bed.

"That can wait. Come here."

Levy smiled and her lips found his in another passionate kiss.

* * *

 **I'm still not sure if I'm any good at writing this, lemons, limes, whatever you call it, but hopefully I'm getting better.**

 **Who is Rogue's father and why does he seem familiar to Gajeel? Find out in the next chapter. I can't wait to tell you!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you so much to all of you who favorite, follow and review this story! I really appreciate it.**

 **I have been waiting to post this chapter since I came up with this story. This chapter is one of my favorites, and I hope you like it too.**

* * *

Rogue didn't come to the youth center for a couple of days. It was expected, but both Gajeel and Lily wondered what happened to him. His father probably didn't like that he was hanging out at the center so much and wanted to keep him away from there.

When Rogue did show up at the youth center he was back as the quiet, distant person he had been when he first came there. Gajeel felt the anger build up inside of him. He could see by the way the boy carried himself that he was in pain, and he probably had a couple of new bruises. He refused to talk about it and Gajeel wanted to knock some sense into him and make him report the bastard. But he didn't.

Rogue spent his time at the center as a shadow. He barely spoke to anyone and he didn't join Sting and the other guys to play ball or other activities. He was just there. Gajeel once again felt frustrated about the boy's behavior and he took it out on the punching bags. He wondered why he cared. He wasn't good at caring, and he barely knew the kid. Why did it bother him so much?

Because Rogue reminded him of himself. He didn't have anyone who cared when he was growing up. Rogue deserved to have someone who cared. Gajeel tried to talk to Lily about it, and he felt the same way.

Gradually Rogue started to come out of his shell and slowly he became more open and he started playing basketball and other games with Sting and the other guys again. He started training with Gajeel again, but it seemed hard for him to ask him about it.

The training started out good, but Rogue had trouble to focus and Gajeel didn't want him to hurt himself. He didn't need more pain and bruises. He told Rogue that he wouldn't continue to train him unless he got his act together. Rogue took off his gloves and threw them on the floor. Then he left the gym.

He stayed away for a couple of days and then he came back again. He talked to Gajeel about the training but he didn't say much about anything else. He tried, but he didn't know what to say. He started to open up a little again, and then one day he was there. Rogue's father was standing at the front desk talking to Kinana. He seemed to try to woo her, luckily she didn't seem that interested. Rogue was standing next to them, completely embarrassed.

Gajeel studied them for a while. He felt a pressure in his chest and his memories flashed through his mind. He took deep breaths and clenched and opened his fist over and over again. Rogue's father turned and looked at him for about a second before his attention went back to Kinana.

I was him. Gajeel hadn't seen him properly but he was sure, it was him. It had to be. But how could it be him?

Gajeel walked up to the front desk and stopped next to Rouge's father. He didn't say anything, he just waited for the man to notice him. At first he ignored him, then he turned his head and looked at Gajeel.

"We're kind of busy here, do you want something?" he asked and Gajeels expression hardened.

He tried to say something, but not a word came to mind.

"Do you mind?" the man said and looked at him again. "Do I know you or something?"

Something inside Gajeel snapped.

"You bastard. You fucking bastard."

He hit him, hard in the face, and he fell backwards. Rogue tried to catch him and brake the fall.

"Gajeel, what the hell are you doing?" Sting asked and ran up to them followed by his friends. "That's Rogue's dad."

"He used to be mine," Gajeel said with a low dangerous tone in his voice.

The others looked at each other surprised.

Gajeel hovered over the man lying on the floor. He grabbed his shirt and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Do you remember me now?" he growled through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, I remember you. You were nothing but trouble, I never should have bothered about you."

"So what? I'm supposed to be grateful for the three fucking years you stayed? I was 8!"

"My only regret is that I didn't leave you sooner, you worthless piece of shit."

Gajeel growled and hit the man in the face and in his stomach. He could hear his ribs crack, but he didn't stop until two strong arms pulled him away. Lily had grabbed him from behind and pulled him away from the bleeding man. He didn't let go no matter how hard Gajeel tried to get loose. Everybody at the center had gathered and was staring at them from a safe distance. Gajeel glared back at them with anger shooting out of his eyes. He was so mad. He managed to shake Lily's hand off of him and then he left the center after a quick look at a shocked Rogue.

* * *

Levy had her day off and had been taking a nap when she woke up from the apartment door being slammed shut with a hand that made the whole apartment shake. At first she just lay in bed and listened, wondering what was going on. The noise coming from the apartment made her worried and she opened the bedroom door just enough to look outside. Then she opened it wider and just stood there staring at the scene in front of her.

Gajeel was going berserk through the apartment. He was screaming, growling, throwing everything he could get his hands on. Levy was scared. She wasn't afraid that he was going to hurt _her_ , but she was afraid that he was going to hurt himself. She had never seen him like this before.

She knew she probably shouldn't, but she slowly walked out into the living room. Gajeel was so caught up in his anger, he didn't notice she was there. She stopped and looked at him.

"Gajeel?"

He didn't answer.

"Gajeel?" she tried again.

He turned around, his fist in the air ready to whatever was in his way. Levy flinched and closed her eyes, but she didn't move. Gajeel lowered his hand and let it fall to the side. His expression softened a bit, but he was still very tense. He was breathing heavily and he just stood there starring at her like he didn't know her.

"Gajeel, please tell me what's going on", she said with all the worry she felt in her voice.

"Nothing. Everything. Everything is falling apart and I…"

He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair. He didn't look at her. He almost hit her. He felt disgusted with himself. He almost hit her. He collapsed on the floor and leaned his back against the short end of the couch. Levy sat down beside him, keeping a little distance between them.

"It's okay, if you could just tell me…"

"I don't know what to say. Everything is…. faling apart and I….."

"It's okay to fall apart. Just let me be here and help you pick up the pieces. It's gonna be okay. I love you."

"I think you should go. Back to your own apartment. Maybe even stay with Jet and Droy for a while."

Levy stared at him. Shock written all over her face. She just told him she loved him, and he wanted her to leave?

"Are you…. are you…. breaking up with me?" she managed to say.

"I don't know. I don't… I cant…."

He leaned back and covered his face with his hands. He was having a panic attack. Everything was wrong and he wanted her to leave. Now.

"But… I…"

"Just go. Take what you need and go."

Tears started to fall down Levy's face. She looked at him and wondered who he was. How did he become like this. She took a shaking breath and stood up. She moved like she was in a trance and packed a small bag with things she might need. She couldn't look at Gajeel when she moved towards the door, it hurt too much.

She opened the door and almost screamed when she found Lily standing on the other side. His arms was caught in the air, like he was about to knock when she opened. He looked at her and she could see how worried he was. But she couldn't say anything, she had to get out of here.

She pressed herself past him and he looked at her as she hurried down the stairs. When she was gone he walked into the apartment and closed the door. Gajeel was still sitting on the floor with his face behind his hands.

"Gajeel." Lily said.

"What?"

"I…"

"You knew didn't you?" Gajeel said and stood up. "You knew! That's why you wanted me involved with that kid in the first place! You knew!"

He waked towards Lily with his fist clenched and his lips pressed into a thin, angry line.

"I didn't know! I swear I didn't know! I just thought that by helping that kid you might help yourself. That's it, I promise. I didn't know. I had no idea who that man was until you hit him."

Gajeel sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He felt drained, like all his energy washed of him.

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's at the police station filing a report for assault. I have no idea."

"And Rouge?"

"I don't know. No one know where he went."

Gajeel walked to the couch and sat down leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

"I thought he was dead. For 20 years I have thought that he was dead. And all this time he's been alive, living with another family. He left me and then he had another family. Why did he leave me?"

Lily sat down next him. He didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything. They just sat there for a while.

"I told her to go," Gajeel said flatly after a while.

"Why?" Lily asked softly. "You need her."

"I don't know. I don't want to hurt her."

"It's a little too late for that."

Gajeel took a deep breath and leaned back against the back rest.

" I just… I don't know… I can't… "

Lily knew that pushing Levy away meant that Gajeel was really hurting. He was frustrated, confused and hurting. And he had no idea how to deal with it. So he pushed away the only one that really mattered to him. Lily felt so sorry for both of them. Levy was the only one who could mend Gajeel.

"I have to go back to the center," Lily said, but he didn't want to leave his friend like this. "I have to talk to Kinana and everyone else and try to do some damage control. And I have to find out where Rogue is. I'll be back, just call me if you need anything."

Gajeel nodded absentmindedly and Lily squeezed his shoulder before he stood up and walked out of the apartment. He looked at Gajeel one last time before he closed the door. What a mess!

* * *

 **You guessed right, Rogue's father is also Gajeel's father. But he's not his biological father, it's his adoptive father. I just wanted to remind you of that.**

 **What do you think of this chapter? Leave a review and let me know.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you so much for the follows, the faves and the reviews. I didn't plan for this chapter to take so long to be published. I got a little stuck and didn't know where to continue, then I wrote most of this chapter and got stuck again. I'm not completely happy with this chapter, but it's filled with emotions and that can be hard to write about.**

* * *

Levy didn't know how long she stood outside Jet's and Droy's apartment building. They were probably not the best choice, but she didn't want to go to her parents' house. They boys would probably yell at her and tell her how stupid she was to get in a situation like this, but she just didn't want to be alone.

Her stomach turned and she felt the tears treathening to fall down her cheeks again as she walked up the stairs to their apartment. She stopped outside the apartment door and hesitated a moment before she rang the door bell. Jet opened and his facial expression hardened when he saw what a mess she was.

"What did he do now?" he asked acusingly.

Levy opened her mouth but not a word came out. The tears started falling. Jet pulled her into a hug and closed the door behind them. He stroked her back with soothing movements and she leaned closer and wrapped her arms around him. Her tears made vet stains on his grey t-shirt but none of them cared.

Droy came out from the kitchen with a worried frown on his face.

"What happened? What's wrong?"

"I...we…" Levy sobbed and weren't able to say anything more.

"What did he do?" Jet asked again and held Levy at arms length and tried to make her look at him.

She shook her head and kept quiet.

"You don't have to say anything, not right now," Droy said and hugged her. "Come here, I'll make some tea."

He guided Levy to couch and she curled into a ball next to the arms rest. Droy put a blanket on her and went back to the kitchen to make some tea. Jet sat down beside her and put a hand on her knee.

"Stay as long as you need," he said.

She nodded, unable to speak or look at him. Jet cursed inwardly. What the hell had Gajeel done to her?

Droy returned with the tea and held out a mug infront of Levy. She took it and took a few shaking sips. The sobbing had stopped but tears were still slowly falling down her face. Jet moved so Droy could sit next to her and he also gave her knee a comforting squeeze.

They didn't say anything. They just sat there in silence.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Droy asked.

Jet was standing in the hallway putting his jacket on but stopped in mid-motion when he heard Droy's voice.

"I'm going to talk to that bastard," Jet said and continued to put on the jacket.

"Can't that wait until morning? We don't need more drama tonight. She's finally asleep and we should get some sleep too."

"Fine," Jet sighed and put the jacket back on the hanger. "But whatever he did to to our Levy, I won't forgive him."

"Me neither. But can we let that be tomorrow's troubble? I really need to sleep."

"I guess..."

They watched Levy sleeping in the guest room and then walked to their own bedroom. They both had troubble sleeping. Their minds where occupied with thoughts of their best friend and what happened to her. Whatever it was, was it something that could be fixed?

* * *

Levy had fallen asleep on the couch, exhausted from all the crying. There's was no more tears to cry, just an empty feeling left in her heart. Droy had carried her to the guest room and gently put her down on the bed. He tucked her in and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.

She hadn't found the words to tell them what happened, but she would have to eventually. And they would tell her that they where right not to trust him, and maybe she would believe them. But she still loved him.

In her dreams she relived what happened in the apartment before she left. Gajeel throwing thing. Gajeel being so out of himself with anger and frustration. And then he told her to leave. He didn't want her there. She wanted to be there for him, but he didn't want her there. That really hurt.

She wasn't sure if he broke up with her or if he just couldn't stand her being there. Were they still together? Would he change his mind? Would he want her to come back? She just didn't now.

She woke up wishing he was there, to hold her, comfort her, and tell her that everything was going to be alright. But what if it wasn't? What if she had to take care of the baby alone?

She didn't cry. It was like she had run dry. She would be crying if she could. She curled into a ball and pulled the covers over her ear. She wrapped her arms around her legs and hugged herself. It felt like the hole in her heart was becoming bigger and suddenly it became very hard to breathe.

* * *

When Levy woke up the next morning her eyes were swollen, her mouth was dry and she felt drained of energy. Like the sleep had done more damage than good.

At first she didn't know where she was. It wasn't her bed, but she recognized the room. She looked around and then she remembered. It was like a movie inside her head. No matter how much she wanted to turn it off, she couldn't make it stop.

Tears blurred her vision and she curled into a ball and hugged herself tightly. It hurt so much. Why did it hurt so much? They had only been dating for a couple of months. She moved in a few weeks ago. She was pregnant. He meant so much to her. He and the baby both meant so much to her. She didn't care that they had only been together for a couple of months.

She wondered what he was doing. Did he miss her? She wished she knew what happened to him. What was going on inside his head. What hurt him so much that he lost control? If only he could talk to her.

But he wouldn't. He didn't want to talk to her. He didn't even want to be near her. He pushed her away. He told her to go away, he even told her to go to Jet and Droy and he didn't even like them.

She started crying and the longer she cried the bigger the pain got. She wanted to disapear. Se wanted to find a way to go back and do it all over again, to change everything. But she knew she couldn't. She just wanted him to wrap hs arms around her and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

* * *

Jet and Droy where standing outside the guest room and heard Levy crying. They didn't know what to do. They wanted to cmfort her, but didn't know how. Jet was so angry. Levy didn't deserve this. She was to good for this.

He started walking tiwards the hallway, but Droy stopped him. He shook his head and sighed. Jet knew he was right, but he didn't want to. Finding Gajeel and yell at him for hurting someone so precious as Levy wouldn't do any good. It was damn tempting, and he had been about to do it yesterday when Droy stopped him. Now he sopped him again, it was probably for the best. But they had to do somethng. They had to do something for Levy. She deserved so much more than this.


	15. Chapter 15

Gajeel woke up but he didn't open his eyes right away. He reached out for Levy, but she wasn't there. He opened his eyes and looked at the empy bed beside him. His arm were still streched out and he pulled it pack. He sighed and rolled onto his back. He stared into the ceiling for a while. Then he let out another sigh and got up and got dressed.

He opened the bedroom and stopped in the doorway. The living room and the kitchen were a mess. Chairs were thrown across the floor, the living room table was knocked over. Pillows, glasses, coffe mugs, newspapers, books, cutlery, candles, even fruit were thrown over the floor.

He had a bad temper, but this… No wonder she left. No wait, she didn't just leave, he told her to. He even told her to go to Jet and Droy. Why did he do that? He didn't like them.

He sighed once more and run his fingers through his hair. He had been so angry. He didn't mean to hurt her. She had been crying when she left the apartment. He made her cry.

He picked up one of the books from the floor and put it on the kitchen counter. It was one of her favorites. It didn't look too bad. He found another of her books on the floor and put it with the other. He hadn't been aware of the things he was throwing yesterday. He felt kind of bad for throwing her precious books around. He knew they meant a lot for her.

He looked over at the apartment door, as if looking at it would make her open it and walk inside. He wanted her to come back. He picked up his phone and stared at her number on the screen. He wanted to call her, but he couldn't make himself do it. What was he going to say? She probably didn't even want to talk to him.

* * *

A couple of days passed. Gajeel tried to clean up the apartment, but didn't really care about it. He didn't call Levy and she didn't call him. He spent most of the days lying on the couch watching TV without really noticing what happened. He didn't eat that much, and he drank a fare amount of alcohol.

He couldn't get Levy out of his mind, and he still couldn't make himself press the dial button and call her. He had tried many times, but it always ended with him putting the phone away.

He thought about Rogue. He hadn't heard anything from Lily, so he had no idea if the kid was alright, or what had happened with his father. No one seemed to know where his father was, it looked like he had disappeared again. Maybe that was why the police hadn't come to arrest him yet.

* * *

Gajeel paced back and forth outide the center. He took a deep breath and opened the door. He walked inside and was almost expecting the police to be there waiting for him. They weren't. No one was there except for Kinana. She seemed a little nervous when she saw him.

"Gajeel… I don't… I mean… Lily is…"

"Don't worry, I'm not staying", he said. "Lily called me. He said they found the kid."

"I told you not to call me that."

Rogue was standing by the corridor. His fists were clenched and his lips were pressed into a thin line. He look tired.

"Hey, kid."

"What did I just tell you?" Rogue asked.

"I just… wanted to see how you're doing."

"I haven't seen him if that's what you mean."

Lily came out from the corridor and walked to they front desk. He stopped next to Kinana and gave her some documents. He looked at Rogue and then he moved his gaze to Gajeel.

"If you want to talk, you can use my office."

Rogue just stood there for a while, and then he nodded. Gajeel looked at Lily who shrugged and then he followed Rogue to Lily's office. He sat down on Lily's chair and Rogue sat down on the other side of the desk.

Neither of them said anything for a while.

"So…" Gajeel started and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm angry", Rogue said.

"Yeah, I get that, but…"

Rogue interrupted him.

"I'm angry because it was so easy for you to hit him. He's been abusing me for years and I have never managed to fight back like that. I'm glad that you hit him, he deserved it. But it makes me feel guilty. And that makes me angry. And I'm angry because he's gone. I haven't seen him since that day. And I'm kind of glad that he's gone, and that also makes me angry. Because after all, his still…"

Rogue trailed off and sighed.

"After all, his still your father", Gajeel said. "I get it, I think. He left me when I was eight. He abandoned me without a word, and no one knew where he was. I've spent the last 20 years thinking he was dead. And suddenly there he was, standing next to you. And I snapped. I was so angry I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't even know I was that angry until I saw him. I was just a little kid trying to get his attemtion, trying to make him care."

"But he never did,"Rogue murmured. .

"No. He didn't even recognize me."

Gajeel cleared his throat and changed the subject.

"Where have ya been the last couple days?

"Well, it was kinda chaoic after you left. He was angry as hell and he just left. I didn't want to go with him. I got away from here and then I snuck back in and hid in of the rooms."

"I used to do that too."

Gajeel looked at him and unfolded his arms.

"I heard you were the one that broke that window with that brick. I broke the same window when I was your age, but I used a dumbbell."

Rogue gave him a hint of a smile.

 _Brothers think a like_ , he hought. But he didn't say anything. Why didn't he just tell him the truth? He had been trying to tell him for weeks, why didn't he tell him now? But he still didn't know how.

"Are we good, then?" Gajeel asked and Rogue nodded. "Good. I should probably get going then. Kinana is kinda nervous for having me here."

"You're not staying?" Rogue asked hesitantly.

Gajeel opened the door and they started walking back to the front desk.

"I ain't working here anymore."

"Why not?"

"You know what happened." Gajeel said and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, but… I don't want you to quit. I mean… "

"I don't make the rules. And I'm actually trying to follow them for once."

Lily were still standing at the front desk and he looked up when he heard them coming.

"But…"

"See ya around, kid," Gajeel said and gave Lily a nod before he left the center.

Rogue watched him leave.

"Sting and the guys are waiting for you at the basketball court", Lily said and watched Rogue.

"Right."

Lily watched him thoughtfully as he walked to the basketball court to join his friends.

* * *

Gajeel came home to his apartment and it felt empty without Levy there. He picked up his phone from his pocket and looked at the screen. But he still couldn't make the call. He still didn't know what to say to her.

Things had turned out okay with Rogue and Lily would probably let him stay at the center as long as he wanted. One problem solved. But what about Levy? Jet and Droy were probably doing a good job convincing her that she was better off without him. And what if they were right?

He lay down on the couch and covered his eyes with his forearm. He sighed, looked at the phone again and then tossed it on the floor. Luckily it didn't break.


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you so much for your reviews, and for favoriting and following this story. I know I say it a lot, but I really appreciate it. Without you, writing wouldn't be as much fun.**

* * *

Levy looked at her phone before Jet pulled it away from her.

"You are not calling him!"

Levy sighed and leaned back on the couch. She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms aroung them.

"I'm not calling him. I just…"

"You are not calling him," Jet repeated.

"I just want to talk to him."

"No, you don't. You don't want anything to do with him. You left him and you are not going back there."

"That's not your decision."

"Levy, you're…"

"No. I'm hurt and I'm upset but I still love him. He's still the father of my baby and I just want to talk to him."

"I won't let you."

"Jet…"

Levy felt all her energy disappear. She didn't want to fight about this anymore. It didn't matter what she said or did, they always came back to this. She got up from the couch and started walking to the door.

"Where are you going?" Jet demanded to know.

"Out."

"Levy…!"

"I don't want to hear it."

Levy closed the door behind her and walked down the stairs to the entrance. She left the apartment building and moved her feet with no particular destination in mind. She didn't know she was going to the center until she stopped outside the building. She put her hands in her pockets and stared at the door. She didn't know if she wanted to go inside.

She sighed, took her hands out of her pockets and slowly opened the door. Her heart was beating faster and she felt really nervous about meeting Gajeel. She didn't see him, but that didn't mean he wasn't there somewhere.

Lily was walking across the room and stopped when he noticed Levy. At first he just looked at her but then he walked up to her and gave her a quick hug.

"Levy. It's nice to see you. How are you."

"I'm fine," she said, but she could tell that he didn't really believe her.

"That's good," he said. "Gajeel… he's not here… at the moment…"

"Oh."

Levy wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed. He wasn't here. She wasn't going to meet him here.

"We're not… We haven't… I just wanted to know if he's alright."

"He's… Well, he's…" Lily said, not sure what to tell her.

He looked at her and noticed that she was pale. He asked her if she was feeling okay.

"I just need to sit down. I'm a little dizzy," she said.

Lily showed her the chair behind the front desk and she sat down. She leaned forward and rested her head in her hands. She took a couple of deep breaths.

"Gajeel told me about the baby," Lily said with his hand on her shoulder. "Congratulations."

"Thanks. I think. I'm not really sure right now."

She took a deep breath and straightened up. She avoided looking at Lily when she continued to talk.

"To be honest we're not talking right now. I haven't seen him since that day when you saw me crying."

She sighed and turned her head to look at Lily who was now leaning against the desk with his arms folded over his chest.

"I just want to know that he's okay."

"Gajeel is going through a hard time. He's not good with feelings and it's hard for him to let people in.

"I've noticed," Levy said with a sigh. "But it was going so well, and then he…"

"He didn't tell you, did he?"

Levy shook her head.

"I tried, but he wouldn't tell me. And then he told me to leave."

Lily could hear the heartbreak in her voice. He wanted to tell her what happened, but Gajeel should be the one to tell her. She would understand. If they could just talk to each other.

"I'll try to talk to him. I'll see if there's anything I can do."

"Thanks Lily." She stood up and gave him a hug. "I didn't mean to come her like this, I'm sorry."

"It's alright. It was nice to see you. You should come by the house some time. Shagotte would like to see you too."

"Thanks Lily."

Levy gave him another hug. He watched her leave the center and gave her a little wave when she turned around as she opened the door. She gave him a weak smile and closed the door behind her.

Lily sighed and rubbed the back of his head. This reminded him of that time when they didn't talk to each other because Gajeel and Levy both thought they were being rejected. It all turned out to be a misunderstanding. This was more serious, and it they didn't sort it out, who knew what would happen? He had gotten himself involved that time and maybe he needed to do that now too. Someone had to do something. He liked Levy and she was really good for Gajeel. He didn't want them to end like this.

He sighed and turned around. A group of kids where standing there looking at him.

"You want something?" he asked

"It's about Gajeel," Angel said.

Angel wasn't her real name, and she was far from one. They called her that because she liked angels, and her appearance reminded of one. She had pale skin and her hair color was so light it was almost like silver. She always wore light colored dresses and colorful ribbons. She was nice when she felt like it, but she could also be very harsh, arrogant and sadistic.

"What about him?" Lily asked and wondered where this was going.

"He's aggressive, violent and you know… But it feels kinda weird that he's not here."

Lily looked at all of them and raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, we want him to come back," Totomaru said.

"You know what happened. I can' have people who act like that working here."

"He's your friend," one of the boys said.

"He is my friend," Lily said, "and what happened doesn't change that. But I still can't have my staff acting like that."

"Why don't you ask Rogue?"

Lily looked at Rogue who was standing in the back of the group.

"What do you think, Rogue?"

"I think… you should let him come back. We're not finished with my training."

"Yeah, he said he was going to spar with me sometime," Sting said.

"I'll think about it," Lily said and looked down on the computer.

He looked up and saw the kids still standing there.

"I said I'll think about it."

They sighed and left him alone. The group divided into smaller groups and disappeared in different directions. Lily sighed. Now what was he going to do?

* * *

Levy didn't plan to go to her apartment, but now she was there. She might as well pick up some stuff. She needed some clothes and some books and she still had most of it in her own apartment.

She heard footsteps but didn't think about it until they stopped. She put the key in the key hole, but she didn't unlock the door. Why didn't the person behind her just keep moving? Her heart started to beat faster and she slowly turned around.

"Gajeel."


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you so much for following and reviewing! I love reading your reviews, they mean a lot to me. Sometimes I go back just to read your reviews.**

* * *

He didn't say anything. He just stood there and looked at her. Levy felt her heart beat faster and the butterflies in her stomach decided to fly around like crazy. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, but she decided not to.

"I…" Gajeel began, but stopped when a door opened and Mrs Gruber walked out of her apartment.

She looked at them, disaproving as always. She shook her head and sighed. Then she walked down the stairs, slowly, so very slowly. Levy resisted the urge to help her down faster. Instead she looked at Gajeel again. He seemed to have an internal battle with himself.

Suddenly his lips crashed into hers. He kissed her like he was starving for her touch. He grabbed her by the weist and held her up against the wall. He kissed her neck and removed her dress so he could kiss her shoulder. Levy dug her fingers into his hair and pulled his face back to hers. She kissed him, hungry and craving for more. She needed him so much.

"Inside get inside", she breathed and it took a few seconds before he understood what she meant.

He fumbled with the door without stopping the kisses and carried her inside. When they reached her bedroom she pulled his t-shirt over his head and he lay her down on the bed. He freed himself from his pants and she quickly removed her leggings and panties to give him access. It was quick, rough and desperate.

Afterwards, when they were lying next to each other, still short of breath, Levy wasn't sure how to feel. She wanted him, but what if this didn't change anything? She sighed and sat up on the side of the bed. She started to put her clothes on with her back towards Gajeel. She couldn't look at him.

"I'm going to the bathroom," she said. "You can leave while I'm there."

She shut her eyes to stop the tears from falling.

"You want me to leave?" he asked and for a moment Levy thought that he sounded disapointed.

"No. But I thought this was just…. Just go."

She couldn't hide the pain in her voice.

"Levy."

"Just go."

She stood up and started walking towards the door, but Gajeel pulled her back. He wrapped himself around her and made her lean her back against him. Other than that she didn't touch him.

"I'm so sorry," he said close to her ear. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I can't loose you too."

She felt his body tremble and somethng wet touched her cheek. He was crying. She wanted to turn around but he held her tighter and prevented her from moving. They sat like that for a while.

"Come home," Gajeel said with a shaky voice. "Please, come home."

He still didn't let her turn around but he loosened his hold on her a little bit.

"I'm usually not this weak," he murmured flatly, so low she almost couldn't hear him.

"You're not weak. You've just been trying to be strong for too long."

He finally let her turn around. He had streaks of tears on his cheeks and he didn't look at her. She put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him gently.

"I told you that I will be here and help you pick up the pieces. If you'll let me. I love you. But you have to talk to me."

"Got any alcohol?"

"I'm serious."

"So am I. I will tell you, just not now."

He needed to prepare himself, he needed to thnk about what to say. And some alcohol would probably be good.

He put his clothes back on and then turned around and looked at Levy. Her eyes were watery and she was biting her lower lip.

"Don't go," she said

He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head and buried his face in her hair.

"I didn't know how much I need you until you were gone."

He didn't realize that he said it out loud.

"Oh, Gajeel", Levy said and hugged him tighter.

They kissed, and it didn't take long before they did more than that. The need they felt for each other was different from the first time. This time it was slow and gentle. They looked into each others eyes when they reached climax.

Afterwards Levy cuddled next to Gajeel. He held his arm around her and she leaned her head on his chest. She could hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeats.

"I'm playing at Fairy Tail tonight," Gajeel said after a while. "I'm going to take a couple of drinks with Lily afterwards, and then we can talk."

"I want to see you play," Levy said.

They lay there for a while, just holding each other. The time when Gajeel had to leave came sooner than they wanted. They still had a lot to talk about before thing were going to be alright between them, but this was a good start.

"I'll se you later, Shorty," Gajeel said when he left her apartment.

Levy gave him a little smile. She had missed that.

* * *

"Thanks, Mira," Gajeel said and took the two beers she put infront of him.

Lily was waiting for him at a table in the back. They had already been drinking a coupke of beers and it was Gajeel turn to get a new round. Lily took a couple of sips from the beer and looked at Gajeel.

"You seem to be in a better mood," he said.

"Yeah. It's good to be playing again."

"And?"

"And I met Levy today. I think we're getting back together. I'm going to tell her."

"That's great."

Lily was thoughtful for a while.

"I've been thinking. The kids at the center wants you to come back. I have no idea why, but they do. I guess you've made a bigger impact on them than we thought."

"So?"

"So I'm willing to give you one more chance. I've been thinking about it all day. You're welcome to come back, on two conditions."

"And they are?" Gajeel asked and drank his beer.

"You have to let me know if there's any problem at all, and no fighting. And you'll have to talk to Laki on a regular basis. You have to talk to her about makng apointments."

Gajeel didn't look forward to talk to Laki about his problems, but it was a fair deal.

"I think I can do that."

"Good. I'll see you on Monday then.

"Great. And thanks, Lil."

Gajeel looked at Levy. She was sitting together with Lucy and Natsu at their usual table. Jet and Droy joined them, they had been at the bar to get more drinks. Gajeeel wondered if they knew what happened earlier. He didn't think so. They seemed too relaxed to know. Why did he care what they thought, anyway? Levy looked over her shoulder and gave him a hint of a smile.

He turned his attention back to Lily again. It felt good to be here again. He hadn't been out much since Levy left. He knew he needed this. He also knew he was stalling. He wanted her to know what happened, he just didn't want to tell her.

Gajeel had one more beer and then he decided he couldn't stall it anymore. He got Levy's attention and nodded towards the door. She nodded and finished her drink. She said something to her friends and then she left the table.

Gajeel said good bye to Lily and walked towards the door. He was almost there when someone called his name.

"Rogue. What are ya doin' here?"

"It's my birthday. I'm 18 now."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks. You know, actually there's something I have to talk to you about."

"Sorry kid. Not now. I have some things I have to take care of."

"But... Okay..."

Rogue sighed. He couldn't hide his disapointment. He finally got the courage to talk to him, and he didn't have the time to listen.

"l'll se you at the center on Monday,"Gajeel said and patted his shoulder before he walked out of Fairy Tail together with Levy.


	18. Chapter 18

**I wanted to post this chapter sooner, but sometimes life gets in the way. I'm not completely happy with this chapter, but I'm not sure why. Maybe I'll come back and add or change something later, but I'll leave it like this for now.**

 **Gajeel is talking to Levy, and I think that is something we've all been waiting for.**

* * *

"Who was that?" Levy wondered and looked over her shoulder at the closed door.

"Just a kid from the center. Rogue," Gajeel answered.

"He kinda looks like you," Levy said and looked up at Gajeel, who looked back at her with raised eyebrows. "He has the same broody look and his face and even his hair is similar to yours."

Gajeel only grunted in response. They walked side by side and the further they walked the distance between them became smaller and smaller. They where both very aware of the other persons presence, and for some reason they both felt a little nervous. Their fingers brushed against each other a few times until they laced them together. Neither of them said anything. They walked hand in hand in silence, glancing at each other from time to time. It felt good to hold hands again.

They reached the apartment and Gajeel walked to the kitchen. Levy stayed behind, not sure what to do or what to say. The same seemd to go for Gajeel. They had practically jumped on each other earlier that day and now they were nervous to be around each other.

Gajeel started making coffee. He wasn't sure he wanted any, but he needed something to do with his hands. Levy was still standing in the hallway, not sure if she should join him in the kitchen or go sit down on the couch.

"I told you my mom died when I was five," Gajeel said and broke the silence.

He didn't look at her. He kept himself busy with the coffee.

"I barely rememer what she looked like, but I remember her smell, and her laugh. They way she used to hold me and tell me stories. She was so loving and caring."

Levy could tell from the way he talked about her that he had loved her very much. She felt her eyes tear up.

"My father… I don't remember him ever being loving or caring. He was just there. And when she died…"

Gajeel stopped with what he was doing and took a deep breath.

"She kept telling me everything was going to be okay, and I wanted so bad to believe her. And then she died and I felt so guilty for falling asleep. I never noticed when she stopped breathing."

"I think she held on as long as she could," Levy said. "Maybe she waited until you fell asleep because she new how hard it was for you to let go."

The tears started falling slowly down her cheeks, and she wiped them away with her thumbs and her index fingers.

"I've never thought about it like that," Gajeel said and looked at Levy for the first time since they came to the apartment. "And my dad sure didn't. He was so angry at me when he found out that I had been sleeping when she died. He blamed me. He said it was all my fault. If I hadn't been asleep they could have saved her. That's what he said. It took me years to realize that it wasn't true, but I was just a little kid back then and I belived him. He was my father. I know better now, but I still feel guilty."

Levy didn't know what to say. She felt so bad for him when he first told her about his mother's death, and this made her feel even worse. She was hurt for Gajeel's sake and she was angry at his father for treating him like that.

"I started fighting. At school, with kids on our street. I got really good at it. It seemed to be the only way to get his attention. He always got mad of course, but I fgured it was better than nothing. At least he noticed me. Even if he was hurting me or locking me up in my room."

Gajeel poured coffee in one of the coffee mugs and drank a couple of sips. He put a splash of whiskey in it and drank from it again. He leaned over the kitchen island and looked down into the coffee.

"One day he was gone. He decided he didn't want to be a father anymore, so he left. Not a word, not a note, not anything."

Gajel looked at her briefly before he continued talking. It was easier than he thought, and he just wanted to be over with it.

"I got caught up in the foster care system, I've lived in more foster homes than I can count. I moved around a lot, I ran away a lot, sometimes I didn't even stay a week. Most of them only wanted me for the money, and neither of them could handle me. I was too messed up, too much to handle. Too much trouble. I met Lily, and I think somehow he saved me. He and the center has meant a lot to me."

He poured another splash of whiskey into the coffee. Well, at the moment it was more like whiskey with a splash of coffee. But he drank it anyway, and when he was finished he poured more whiskey into the mug.

"That kid at Fairy Tail, Rogue. He's had a hard time and Lily thought I could help somehow. He's been really distant and quiet, but he started to open up and I found out that his father was beating him. And guess what, it turns his father is the same bastard that left me. I've spent the last 20 years thinking he was dead, and all this time he's been living with another family."

Levy's mouth dropped, and she quickly closed it. She stared at Gajeel and saw the pain he was trying to hide behind that pretended nonchalance. And her heart broke again. She wanted to say something, but it was like the words were stuck in her throat and she couldn't get them out.

She walked up to him and placed her hand on his heart. Then she leaned her head against his chest and wrapped her other arm around him. He let out a heavy sigh and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"They day I found out, was that day when I came here and trashed the place. I was so angry. I hit him, and if Liy hadn't stopped me…. I didn't know how to feel, I didn't know what to do. I told you to leave because… because I didn't know how to deal with it. I didn't know how to break down in front of you."

The tears started falling again and left wet stains on Gajeel's t-shirt. Levy didn't stop them from falling, she didn't want to let go of Gajeel.

"Stay with me," he whispered.

Levy had a feeling he wasn't just talking about staying the night.

"I will," she answered.


	19. Chapter 19

**My plan was to post this chapter a couple pf days after the previous one, but obviously that didn't happen. It was harder to write this chapter than I thought, but now it's finally finished. I might go back and make a few changes later, but here it is.**

* * *

Levy woke up first. It was the light that crept through the blinds that woke her. She was so tired and she wanted to go back to sleep, but instead she reached out and stroke a strand of hair out of Gajeel's eyes. She gently stroke her finger tips over his cheek before she pulled her hand back.

He seemed more relaxed than the night before. When he was sleeping he seemed to let go of all the walls he was holding up when he was awake. He wasn't as tense and broody and had a much gentler look on his face.

It had been a rough night and they hadn't gone to bed until early in the morning. Levy wasn't sure how long she had been sleeping but it hadn't been more than a couple of hours. They had talked all night about his past and the present situation with his father and Rouge. But she still didn't know how he felt about the baby.

Now, that he finally had told her what was going on and why he acted like he did, she understood. But it didn't change the fact that she was pregnant and he kicked her out. Still, she wanted him to want the baby as much as she dd. She wanted him to have a family with her. She wanted to be his family.

She took a startled breath when she suddenly realized that Gajeel was looking at her. She had no idea how long he had been awake. He put a hand on her waist and puller her closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her and she lay her head on his chest. The sound of his heartbeats comforted her and soon she fell back asleep.

The next time she woke up she was alone. The bed next to her was empty and the covers were tossed to the side. She was the only one in the room and it appeared that she had been for a while. Where was he? She tossed the covers to the side and got up from the bed. She left the bedroom and looked around the apartment but she couldn't find him anywhere. Where was he? Did he leave her? Anxiety was growing inside her. What was going on?

Suddenly the apartment door opened and Gajeel walked inside. He stopped and looked at Levy who was standing in the middle of the apartment. She was wasn't wearing anything but a t-shirt and her messy hair fell into her eyes.

"You're awake," he said and couldn't take his eyes off of her.

She still had no idea what kind of affect that had on him. He wanted to kiss her, take her back to bed, but her expression told him that was not a good idea, not now.

"Where were you?" she asked and placed her hands on her waist in an irritated movement.

"Breakfast," he said and showed her a bag with sandwiches and two mugs, one with coffee and the other one with hot chocolate. He put them on the kitchen table and Levy slowly sat down on one od the chairs. They ate in silence. There was a tension between them that hadn't been there before. Levy glanced at Gajeel and sighed.

"I can't do this anymore."

"What do you mean?" Gajeel asked and put his sandwich down on the table.

"I can't keep pretending. I'm pregnant and you threw me out. I understad why you did what you did, but you kicked me out and it still hurts, a lot. And I'm still pregnant and I won't stop being pregnant until this baby is born. We talk about everything but the baby, and I still don't know what you want."

She took a deep breath and when he didn't say anything she continued.

"I've been trying to be patient, but I can't do this anymore. I need you to do this with me. I said that I will be there for you, but you have to be there for me too. I don't want to do this alone. Do you even know what it's been like for me? Do you want to know?

"What do you want me to say? That I avoid thinking about it because I'm scared? I'm terrified that I'm gonna mess evrything up. You're gonna wake up one day and realize that you deserve better. That I'm not the kind of father that you want me to be."

"You're not like you're father," Levy said.

"How do you know that?"

"Because you care. Because you worry. You don't want people to know that, but you do. I know that you do. I've never met your father, but I can tell that you're not like him."

She moved across the table, sat down on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm not saying that it's not going to be easy., but we can do this if we do it together. One step at a time. Just let me in, let me be a part of your life, let us be a part of your life. I want us to be a family, but we can only be that if you want it too."

He wanted it more than he allowed himself to admit. He had always wanted a family, but growing up the way he did, the closeness of a family scared him. His life had been one disappointment after another and he had learned not to expect anything, not to let anyone close. But he had to change that. Levy was the best thing that had happened to him, and he didn't want to lose her. He wanted to be with her. He loved her. The words echoed in his head. He loved her, but he wasn't ready to say that yet. The last person he said "I love you" to was his mother, when he was five.

He hugged Levy and leaned his chin och her shoulder.

"I'm here," he said in a low voice. "I'll try to be what both of you deserve."

Levy hugged him tighter.

"That's all I ask. But please, don't shut me out anymore."

"I won't."

"I'm gonna be staying in my own apartment for a while. We have to start over. Take a step back and slowly move forward. I want this to work, but we've been moving too fast."

Gajeel thought about what she said. He had thought that they might move on from here, not move a part again. But she was probably right. And her apartment was only a floor away.


	20. Chapter 20

**Here is the new chapter, and I am so nervous! I hope this is a good plot twist and not a plot hole. This is something I've been waiting for so long to write and I really hope you like this and that it doesn't seem too unlikely...**

* * *

It felt weird waking up without Levy by his side. He had been without her for a couple of weeks, but now they were back together, sort of. And it felt weird to now that she was back in her own apartment. She had moved back after their talk and this was the second morning he woke up without her. He should probably try to get used to this. It had been too easy to get comfortable with having her around, to be living with her, and then everything changed and they weren't living together anymore. At least they were dating again.

Levy was really special. She didn't give up on him. After all he put her through, she still saw something in him. Something that he was still trying to see. He wanted to, he wanted to see what she saw, and he was going to try. The past few weeks had been a wake-up call. He didn't know how much she meant to him until she wasn't there. And he didn't want to be without her again.

But they were going to take it slow this time. As slow as they could considering the baby would be born in about five months. He had thought about it a lot since that conversation with Levy. He was still terrified, but the thought of a baby was starting to grow on him. He had always wanted a family, but he had never allowed himself to think like that. But maybe he should.

He brought his morning coffe outside on the balcony. It was a beautiful morning. He leaned against the railing and drank his coffee. He looked down on Levy's balcony and noticed that she was already there, lying on the couch next to the windbreak and reading one of her books. A mug of hot chocolate was standing on the small table next to her.

He liked watching her read. He liked the way the look on her face changed depending on what she was reading. The frown, the smiling and the little noices she sometimes made. She probably didn't know about it

She must have felt that he was watching her because she looked up and met his gaze. She smiled at him, a small smile, not as bright as it used to be, but she was smiling. He smiled back and waved at her. It felt a little strange to be acting like this, almost like they did before they got to know each other. When they were just neighbours.

Gajeel sighed and finished the last of his coffee. He had to get ready to go to the center. Lily was giving him a second chance and he didn't want to ruin it by being late. He was meeting Laki today, and he would prefer not to, but it was a part of the deal and he knew he had to.

* * *

Levy brought her breakfast out on the balcony. She curled up on the couch next to the windbreak and opened her book. This was her favorite spot, her comfort zone, and she needed to be here after all that happened. She spent most of the previous day here, and she was going to be out here until she had to leave for work today. She was going to be here a while when she came back after work too.

She didn't really want to move back to her apartment, but she felt like she had to. She wanted to be with Gajeel but after all that happened between them they needed to take a step back and start over. They needed to get to know each other again. To get back to where they should be.

She fel like someone was watching her and looked up at Gajeel's apartment. He was leaning against the railing with a coffee mug in his hands. It had felt so weird to wake up without him, and now he was standng over there on his own balcony like he used to. Like he used to do before they got to know each other, when they were just neighbours.

She smiled at him and he smiled back and gave her a little wave. Then he went inside. He was probably getting ready to leave for work, and she should do the same.

* * *

They met in the stairs. Gajeel came down to Levy's floor the same time she walked out of her apartment. They both felt a little insecure about what to say or do.

"Leaving for work?" Gajeel asked.

Levy nodded.

"Yeah, you too?"

Gajeel nodded.

"Yeah. Well… Have a nice day."

"You too."

They started walking down the stairs. Levy broke the silence.

"Gajeel? Do you want to meet at the coffe shop later?"

"Yeah, sure."

He held out the door for her and they walked outside.

"Great. I'll see you later then."

They looked at each other. Gajeel's hands were in his pockets and Levy decided she had to make the move. She reached out and kissed him. He lifted her up and deepend the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and felt the butterflies fly around in her stomach. One of them tickled her. It took a while for her to realize what that meant.

"Put me down. I felt the baby move."

"What?"

He put her down and she smiled at him with sparkles in her eyes.

"I felt the baby move!"

The smile faded, and he knew it was because of him.

"You did?"

"I did! It was just like a tickle, but was the baby moving."

Gajeel put his hand on her stomach and rubbet it gently. She felt the baby move in there.

"It's too soon for you to feel anything," she said. "But I'm sure you will soon."

Gajeel pulled her in for a hug and she leaned against his chest. The moment was perfect in all its imperfection.

* * *

Gajeel was filled with mixed emotions when he reached the center. Levy felt the baby move. It all felt so real now, the baby was real. The feeling of fear of screwing up washed over him, but he forced it away.

Kinana looked up from the computer behind the front desk and told him that Laki was waiting for him. He didn't want to talk to her, but he knew he had to. As he walked to Laki's office he noticed Rogue from the corner of his eye. The kid had to wait. He had to deal with this first.

Laki opened the door to her office and told Gajeel to sit down. She closed the door and sat down on the chair on the opposite side.

"I'm glad you came," she said and leaned back in her chair. "I know a little about what happened, but I'd like to know more. Where do you want to start?"

* * *

Laki was good at her job, and after their session Gajeel understood why Lily wanted him to talk to her. He hadn't really told her much, and he wasn't looking forward to do it again, but she let him take his time and didn't push him to talk about things he didn't want to talk about.

He went to the gym to blow off some steem. He put on the gloves and started hitting one of the punching bags. A lot of thoughts and emotions went through his head and he felt better afterwards.

He reached for his water bottle but someone was already holding it out for him. Rogue.

"What are you doing here, kid?" Gajeel asked and took the water bottle.

"We have to talk."

"Yeah, I said we would, didn't I? Gajeel said and sighed.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and drank more from the water bottle.

"Can we go somewhere else?" Rogue asked.

He wanted to talk in private, but at the same time he wanted something to distract him a little. They walked outside and followed the river. Rogue was a bit nervous and kept fumbling with his hands, putting them back and forth in his pockets.

"I was adopted when I was two," Rogue started. "My mom was amazing, she was always there for me, she was caring and kind, and my father… Well, you know what he's like."

"Unfortunately," Gajeel said.

"When my mom got sick she hired a private investigator to find my birth parents. It took a long time, but he finally found them. They died in a car accident and that's why I was adopted. But… The thing is…"

This was the hardest part. He had gone through this so many times in his head and he still didn't know how to say it.

"The thing is?" Gajeel asked and waited for him to continue.

"The thing is…" Rogue took a deep breath. "I have a brother."

He glanced at Gajeel. They stopped and looked at each other.

"It's you."

Rogue held his breath as he waited for Gajeel's reaction.

"Well, sure. We both had the same asshole for a father."

"That's not what I mean. The investigator found out that my birth mother had been pregnant before, in high school, but she gave the baby up for adoption. That baby was you."

Gajeel had no idea how to respond to this. Rogue was his brother? Was that really true? It might explain why he felt familiar, but why had no one told him about this before? He had a brother?

"I'm not… expecting anything from you," Rogue told him. "I just wanted to tell you. I had to tell you."

"I have no idea how to feel about this," Gajeel admitted. "It's… I don't know. I don't know what to say. I…"

He was rambling and he needed the get his head straight.

"I tried to help you before, but I just don't know how to do this. I guess I'll.. If you need anything..."

" I don't know," Rogue said and looked down on the ground. "I don't know what I want. I just wanted to tell you, and not be alone."

Gajeel knew that feeling too well. But he didn't know what to say. They walked back to the center and talked a little more about it, but mostly they walked in silence. And when they came back to the center Sting called Rogue to make him come play basketball with some of the guys. Gajeel watched him for a while. His brother.

* * *

 **How many of you saw this coming? Leave a review and let me know what you think.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Thank you so, so much for favoriting, following and reviewing! It means so much to me! I'm sorry you had to wait so long for this update. When I started this chapter I had no idea what was going to happen. And then I had an eye infection and I couldn't write even if I wanted to. My eyes aren't completely healed yet, but they are a lot better.**

* * *

It had been a busy day at the book store and Levy was glad to finally sit down on her favorite spot by the window at the the coffee shop. She took a sip of her orange juice and the cold and fresh liquid tasted so good that she almost forgot she was talking to Lucy on the phone.

"Levy, are you still there?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, sorry. It's been a busy day and it's so good to finally sit down and have something cold to drink."

"I know the feeling. Imagine what it's gonna be like at the end of our pregnancies. We're gonna be so big."

"I'm gonna look like a gigant volley boll with legs," Levy complained and Lucy laughed.

"Me too. Did you know that a new clothing store is opening tomorrow? Maternity clothes. You have to come with me and check it out."

"Sure…." Levy said with some hesitation. "I just hope we don't run into someone we know. We haven't exactly told people yet. And as things are now…"

"You'll work it out, I'm sure you will."

"Thanks, Lucy."

"I have to go now. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow."

They hung up and Levy put her phone back in her small shoulder bag. She looked out the window. It had been cloudy all day, but the sun was fighting its way through and it looked like it was going to be a nice evening.

Gajeel walked into the coffee shop and Levy waved at him. He sat down and Levy immediately noticed that something was wrong. Sh wanted to ask him about it, but wasn't sure if she should. They ordered their food but Gajeel wasn't hungry. He just moved his food around the plate and his mind seemed to be somewhere else.

"Gajeel?"

"Mhm?"

He stopped moving his food around and put the fork down next to the plate. He looked at her for a while before he spoke.

"I have a brother," he said.

"Rogue, right? He seems like a nice guy."

"Well, it's… it's not just that we happen to have the same adoptive father. He told me he's really my brother. We have the same biological parents."

"But that's somethng good, isn't it? You have a brother."

"I don't know. I didn't know I had a brother. I don't know how to be a brother."

"You'll figure it out."

Levy reached out over the table and put her hand on his to show her support. He laced their fingers together and let out a small sigh.

"When Rouge's mother, he's adoptive mother that is, got sick she hired a private investigator to find his birth parents. He found them, but they had died in a car accident and that's why Rogue was adopted. The investigator also found out that the woman had been pregnant before, in high school. Apperantly that was me." Gajeel looked down on their hands. "I always knew I was adopted, but…"

"Don't do that, "Levy said.

"Do what?"

"Don't wonder why she gave you up. Don't wonder why she had another baby when she didn't keep you. She did what she thought was the best for you ."

Gajeel cleared his throat and met her gaze again.

"Anyway. Rogue didn't know we had the same adoptive father, not until I hit him. Apperantly he moved across the country and changed his name when he left me. Then he met a woman, married her and then they adopted Rogue."

Gajeel paused. He looked away and then looked at Levy again.

"I don't get it. Why…"

"Because he's a bastard," Levy interrupted. "And he doesn't deserve any of you."

Gajeel squeezed her hand. This girl was amazing and he loved her. He loved her more than she would ever know.

* * *

"You're gonna look really cute in this"; Lucy said and held a pale yellow dress in front of Levy.

"Are you sure? I mean, it's nice, but it will probably look better on you."

"If you won't buy it I will buy it for you. You can wear it at the wedding."

"What wedding?" Levy asked sheepishly.

She looked at Lucy, who's smile got bigger as the realization hit her.

"Your wedding! You set a date!"

Levy was so happy for them. She gave Lucy a big hug.

"I want you and Juvia to be my bridesmaids," Lucy said and added the yellow dress to the clothes that was already hanging over her arm.

"I'd love to! What about Erza?"

They continued to walk through the store looking at the clothes.

"She's gonna be my maid of honor. She's really good at these things. And we both know how upset she would be if I didn't ask her."

Levy agreed. Erza was agreat choice. She did a wonderful job organising Natsu's proposal and the engagement party, and Levy was sure that she would do a wonderful job organizing their wedding.

"Just make sure she knows it's your wedding and not hers," Levy said and they both smiled.

Although Levy hadn't been too excited about shopping maternity clothes she had a good time. And she ended up buying that yellow dress. And a blouse, a green dress and two pairs of leggings.

 _No more book-shopping this month_ , she thought as she paid for her new clothes. But she liked them and she was looking forward to wear them. She hadn't been shopping for clothes n a while and she was going to have to get a lot more as she got bigger. She had a feeling this was going to be Lucy's new favorite store. Atleast until her baby was born.

Levy put a hand on her stomach. She felt the familiar tingle that was the baby's movements. If only Gajeel could feel this. She wanted to share it with him.

* * *

Levy put her shopping bags on the ground and ran her hands through her pockets trying to find her keys.

"Where is it?"

"Maybe you left it at the store," a voice said and she turned around.

"Gajeel."

Levy looked at him. His long hair was falling down over his back and he was wearing his usual baggy jeans and combat boots, a tank top and short sleeved shirt. It was a look that suited him very well and he was really handsome.

"Did you have a good day at the center?" Levy asked and continued searching for her keys.

"It was alright. What about you? Any clothes left at the store?"

"Very funny. I didn't buy that much."

She finally found the keys, but Gajeel had already opened the door and held it out for her. She walked inside and he followed behind her. When they reached the fourth floor Levy put her bags down and put the apartment key in the lock.

"Come home."

She stopped turning the key, and just stood there.

"Levy, cone home."

She slowly turned around. The words he just said echoed in their heads. He didn't say "come back to my apartment", he said "come home".

"Oh, Gajeel," Levy said and hurried into his arms.

He wrapped his arms around her and breathed in her scent. She tried to get even closer to him and tears were slowly falling down her cheeks.

"Are you crying?"

"No, I just… I don't know."

Levy wiped away her tears. She stood on her toes and pulled him closer to kiss him. And that's what they were doing when Mrs Gruber and a friend of hers walked out of her apartment. Mrs Gruber made a disaproving sound and shook her head and quickly moved pass them dragging her friend with her. The friend said something as they walked down the stairs, but neither Gajeel or Levy could hear what it was.

Levy couldn't help but giggle.

"I can't believe she did it again."

Gajeel took her hand and turned towards the stairs.

"Are ya comin'?

Levy nodded and followed him to the fifth floor. He opened the door and they walked inside the apartment. Levy looked at him and leaned agains him as she looked across the apartment. This was home.

* * *

 **This story isn't over yet, but I have decided to write a third part. So I really hope that you want this story to continue. I do. I enjoy wrting this and I don't want to leave them yet. There will be a couple more chapters before this story is over and then I will start witing the third part.**

 **If any of you are interested I posted a new story. It's a Nalu oneshot and it's called I love you, Lucy. Read it if you want. I hope you'll like it.** **I would also like to remind you of my Gajevy oneshot My immortal. Read it if you want and let me know what you think.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you so much for the faves, the follows and the reviews.**

 **This chapter will be about Rogue and Gajeel.**

* * *

"Earth to Gajeel."

Her voice pulled him back to reality and he looked at Laki who was sitting in the chair in front of him.

"Something you want to talk about?" she asked.

"No, not really. No."

He wasn't even sure he wanted to think about it. The thought had popped into his head a couple of days ago and it wouldn't leave him alone. The thought would never even have crossed his mind if he hadn't met Levy. Now he couldn't stop thinking about it. And it was so not like him.

"You seem thoughtful today," Laki said.

""Really? What makes you say that?" Gajeel said and shifted awkwardly in the chair.

Laki watched him thoughtfully for a while. Then she closed her notebook and put it on the small coffee table that was standing between the two chairs.

"You know what? Time is almost up for today. We can talk more the next time you come to see me."

"Sure, whatever."

Gajeel got up from the chair and left Laki's office. He met Rogue in the corridor. The boy's body language told him that he was in a bad mood, and the look on his face was both angry and sad.

"What's the matter, kid?"

Rogue glared at him for calling him "kid" and sighed.

"It's my dad. I still haven't heard from him. Not a word. And now the house is for sale, and he didn't even have decency to tell me…"

"How did ya find out?"

"I went there to pick up some stuff. Lily was with me, in case, you know… But all we found was a big fat "For Sale"- sign. And just when we were about to leave a real estate agent showed up and wondered what we were doing there."

Rogue's voice became more harsh as he spoke. He folded his arms and got a dark look in his eyes. Gajeel frowned and his expression hardened. His father had ht a new low. How could he do this?

"You know what ya need?" Gajeel said and made Rogue follow him.

They walked down to the gym. Gajeel tossed a couple of gloves to Rogue and patted one of the punching bags.

"This is your new best friend. You can call him whatever you want. You can even paint his face on it."

A faint smile passed across Rogue's lips. He put the gloves on. He put his feet steady on the ground and hit the punching bag.

"This guy's a little ticklish," Gajeel said and took a firmer grip on the punching bag. "He's gonna laugh at you if you hit him like that. You have to hit harder."

Rogue glared at him and rolled his shoulders. He moved his feet into another steady position and hit the punching bag harder and harder.

 _That's more like it_ , Gajeel thought. _Let it all out._

Rough hit even harder and he screamed out his anger as he threw the last punch. His breath was heavy when he removed the gloves and took the water bottle that Gajeel offered him.

"Better?"

Rouge nodded and drank the water. He put the cap back on and held the bottle, not really sure what to do with it.

"Did you get all your stuff?" Gajeel asked and drank some water from another bottle.

Rogue nodded again.

"I think so."

"Good."

They stood there, both feeling a bit awkward. Gajeel still wasn't sure how to deal with this brother-thing.

"I… I'm gonna meet Sting. We're going to the movies with some of the guys."

"Right. Well, see ya later."

Rogue gave the water bottle to Gajeel and left the gym. Gajeel looked at the two bottles and sghed. That went well…

* * *

"It so weird," Rogue complained and put a French fry in his mouth.

He and Sting were eating hamburgers and fries before meeting the rest of the gang at the movies.

"What is?" Sting asked and took a bite of his burger.

"Everything…" Rogue sighed. "My dad is not coming back, the house is for sale. And Gajeel… I don't know, he's just there. We barely talk unless he's training me, and that hasn't happened that much lately. I know I said I didn't expect anything from him, but…"

"But you do," Sting said and took another bite. "So talk to him."

Rogue looked at him.

"You know it's Gajeel we're talking about right?"

"Yeah…"

Rogue sighed. It had taken him several weeks to find the courage to talk to Gajeel and tell him they we're brothers. He wasn't exactly easy to talk to. But now that his dad was gone, Gajeel was the only one he had.

He could stay at the center for as long as he wanted. A lot of the kids stayed there every now and then, but they weren't _living_ there. Even though they had troubles at home, they still had a home. Even though they didn't get along with their parents, they still had parents. He had Gajeel. How was he going to tell him that he changed his mind? That he did expect something from him, that he wanted him to act like a brother and be there for him?

"Stop moping. We're meeting the guys in fifteen. Are you finished?"

"Sure," Rogue said and finished his soda.

* * *

"I'm really not good at this," Gajeel said and sighed.

"Give him a chance. Give yourself a chance," Levy said.

She was sitting behind Gajeel on the couch and was giving his tense shoulders a massage.

"He has to know that he can trust you, and I know it's the same for you. You have to open up to him and let him in."

"Yeah, but I don't know…."

Levy stopped massaging him and put her arms around him. She hugged him and put her head on his shoulder.

"You could start by inviting him over for dinner."

"Seriously?"

Gajeel turned his head and looked at her.

"Seriously. He's your brother. It will be a good opportunity to get to know each other."

"I don't know…"

"You have to start somewhere. I know you want to get to know him, even if you don't know that."

"I love you."

The words fell out of his mouth before he had the time to think about it. It actually felt really good say it. Levy smiled and her eyes sparkled with happiness and love.

"I have never said that before, to anyone," Gajeel admitted.

"That makes it even more special."

Gajeel lifted her up and put her in his lap. She cupped his cheeks and leaned in to give him a soft kiss on his lips.

"I love you," Gajeel said again and kissed her.

"I love you."

Gajeel embraced Levy and she put her arms around his neck. They kissed, soft, gentle kisses reflecting the words they had just spoken.


	23. Chapter 23

**Thank you so much for following favoriting, and reviewing. I Always look forward to read your reviews, and it means a lot to me that you take the time to read and let me know what you think about it.**  
 **In this chapter Rogue and Gajeel take another step forward to get to know each other better.**

* * *

Asking Rogue to come over for dinner was a weird, awkward moment. Gajeel had no idea how to invite him, and he didn't want anyone around when he did. He waited until after their training and kind of blurted it out. At first Rogue just looked at him and then he said that he'd like to come. That didn't make it feel less awkward.

Gajeel didn't want to admit it but having his brother over made hm feel really nervous. He didn't tell Levy, but she probably figured it out anyway. Being nervous bothered him. It meant he cared, and he didn't want to care. Caring was scary.

Loving Levy still felt scary, but he was getting used to the feeling. And while he made himself ready for dinner, while he watched her walk around in the kitchen, that thought that had been stuck in his head came back. He could see it so clearly that it scared him. No one had ever made him feel like Levy did.

She turned around and his heart skipped a beat. She was so beautiful, and she didn't even know it.

"What are you loking at?" she asked.

"Nothin'," he said and put his hands in his pockets.

The door bell rang and Levy opned it. She was surprised to see Rogue there. She had expected hm to call when he reached the building.

"Hi. Nice to meet you," she said. "I'm Levy, Gajeel's girlfriend. How did you get in?"

"There was an old lady on her way out when I arrived. She let me in and she said..."

"Mrs Gruber?" Levy interrupted. "Short, gray hair and a disapproving look on her face?"

Rogue nodded.

"She talked to you? She actually talked to you?"

"Yeah, so?" Rogue said, not understanding what was the big deal.

"She actually talked to you? She's been ignoring me for almost two years."

"She's been ignoring me for almost four years," Gajeel said and walked up to Levy, putting his arm around her shoulders. "She always sighs and have this disapproving look on her face."

"Well, she kinda said I reminded of you, but nicer. Maybe she doesn't like having a long haired metal head with muscles as a neighbour."

Levy's mouth dropped. Did he really just say that? Then she smiled and looked at Gajeel.

"Hey!" Gajeel said and pointed at Rogue. "I'm older than you, remember that:"

But he wasn't as offended as he pretended to be. He was just as surprised as Levy, but he could appreciate the kid's sassiness. He was still quiet and withdrawn, but he definitely had his moments.

Rogue's face turned a little red and Levy leaned a little closer to him.

"Don't worry about him," she said. "He's kinda scary on the outside, but deep, _deep_ , inside he a teddybear."

"What did you just call me?" Gajeel asked and folded his arms.

Levy just smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you guys later."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm meeting the girls to talk about Lucy's weeding. Didn't I tell you that?"

"No.."

"I'm sorry, I must have forgotten."

But the truth was that she hadn't forgotten to tell him. She was curious about Rogue, he seemed like a nice guy and she wanted to get to know him better. But if she was there, Gajeel would probably hide behind her. She wanted to be there and encourage him, but he needed to do this on his own.

"But you can't just…" he said so low only she could hear.

" You''ll be fine."

She cupped his cheek with one hand and gave him another kiss before she walked out the door. Gajeel looked around. He looked at the kitchen for a while and then he turned his gaze to Rogue.

"How does pizza and beer sound?"

* * *

The girls had a really good time talking about the wedding. Erza was taking her responsibilities as made of honor very seriously and had already made lists and charts. The meating was well organized thanks to her, but they also had a lot of fun. Levy's stomach was still hurting from all the laughter when she came home.

She opened the door and walked into the apartment. It was so quiet she wondered if anyone was there. She took off her jacket and put it on the hanger.

"What the hell! What did you do that for?"

It was Gajeel's voice. Where they fighting? Had it been a mistake to invite Rogue?

"Uhm, guys?" Levy said and hesitantly walked inside the apartment. She found them sitting side by side on the couch, They weren't fighting, they where playing a video game. Leftover pizza and beer bottles where standing on the table in front of them.

Gajeel quickly took his eyes off the game and looked at Levy.

"Hi, Shrimp. Back already?"

"Already? I've been gone for almost three hours.?"

"Three hours?"

The guys looked at each other. Rogue shrugged and then they continued to play the game. Levy stood behind the couch watching them.

"Nice move, kid," Gajeel said and elbowed Rogue in the side.

There was a hint of a smile on Rogue's lips as he elbowed him back. A smile appeared on Levy's lips and it grew bigger the longer she watched them. They kept playing for a while and Levy started to clean up in the kitchen. But her gaze turned to them from time to time.

It was a shame Rogue had to leave. Maybe…

"You know, Rogue, you don't have to go back to the center tonight," Levy said when they had finished playing. "You can spend the night here, if you want."

She looked at Gajeel. She knew he was surprised by her suggestion.

"Yeah, sure. If you want to…" he said awkwardly.

"Sure, thanks," Rogue said after a while and shrugged.

He acted like it didn't matter but he really appreciated the offer. It was unexpected, and it was Gajeel's girlfriend's idea, but was nice to know that they wanted him to stay.

Levy told him there was a spare toothbrush in the bathroom and while he brushed his teeth she made the couch. When she was finished she gave him a little smile.

"Good night, Rogue," she said.

"Good night.",

He lay down on the couch with his arms folded under his head. He looked up in the ceiling for a while, thinking how weird and nice this was, and then he turned around and closed his eyes.

* * *

Levy curled up next to Gajeel in the bed and he put his arm around her. She rested her head on his chest and slowly moved her hand in circles over his stomach.

"How does it feel?" she asked.

"We didn't talk that much, but it was alright."

"I'm glad. He seems like a really nice guy."

"Yeah."

"He looks up to you, and I think staying here means a lot to him."

Gajeel didn't answer. Instead he kissed her. He moved her so she was lying on top of him, and if his brother hadn't been sleeping on the couch in the living room he would have done a lot more than just kiss her.

His brother was sleeping on the couch in the living room. He had to repat that a couple of times to really believe it. His brother was sleeping on the couch in the living room.

* * *

 **I plan to write two or three more chapters and then I will finish this story. I just have to figure out how fast things are gonna go from here.**

 **If any of you are fans of Naruto and Shikamaru/Temari, I'm writing a ShikaTema story called A troublesome woman, You can check it out if you want.**


	24. Chapter 24

**I was going to post this chapter a couple of weeks ago, and I have no idea why that didn't happen. Life, I guess. But here it is. I hope you like it**.

* * *

When Rogue woke up the next morning, he wasn't sure where he was. He looked around and remembered he was in Gajeel's apartment. They had eaten pizza and played video games. It had gotten late and Levy had invited him to stay the night. He and Gajeel hadn't talked that much, but for Rogue it had been the best night in a long time.

He heard a door open and close and turned his head to see Levy come out from their bedroom. She gave him a small smile when she noticed that he was awake.

"Good morning, Rogue. Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah," was all he said, but the truth was that he had slept better than he had in a couple of weeks.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Levy asked and he nodded.

She walked to the kitchen and he walked into the bathroom to wash off and get dressed. He came back to the kitchen and felt like he should ask if she wanted any help.

When Gajeel came into the kitchen a few moments later Levy was making toast and bacon and scrambled eggs, and Rogue was setting the table. Gajeel stopped and looked at them. He watched them move and talk to each other. It looked so natural, so… Like a family.

Gajeel stopped breathing for a moment. Feelings he couldn't explain took a hold on his heart and he couldn't hear a word when Levy turned around and talked to him.

She walked up to him with a worried frown.

"Is something wrong?"

He shook his head trying to make his body work again.

"It's fine," he said and put his arm around her shoulders.

They sat down at the kitchen table and ate their breakfast. Gajeel glanced at Levy and Rogue. He couldn't shake of this strange feeling and the thoughts that had occupied his mind came back.

* * *

"Is everything alright? Is everything okay with the baby?" Lily asked from his side of the desk and put the documents down.

"Everything's fine," Gajeel said without looking up from the documents he was reading.

"Something's wrong," Lily said.

"Nothing's wrong;" Gajeel said, still pretending to read.

"Then what is it?"

"It's nothing!" Gajeel said and gave him an annoyed glare. "I'm just thinking…"

"About?"

"Nothing!"

Gajeel looked down at the papers he was holding and there was a faint, almost unnoticeable blush on his cheeks. This was interesting, Lily thought. He wanted to push his friend just a little bit, but he didn't want to make him mad. And he looked like he could get really mad. The guy was doing some serious thinking, and that was not like him. That made Lily very curious.

"So…" he began and received another glare from Gajeel. "How are things going with Rogue?"

"It's fine. We're… getting to know each other, I guess."

"That's good."

"Mhm," Gajeel muttered and glared at him again. "You know what, I'm gonna finish this somewhere else,"

He stood up and walked out of Lily's office. Lily watched him close the door with a bang and laughed. He wasn't sure what really happened just now, but he was getting even more curious. Something was going on.

* * *

Gajeel was nervous. He hated being nervous and he had no reason to be nervous. He was just going to go up to them and tell them. He wanted a beer, but he had already had two and he had the feeling that being affected by alcohol would not be to his advantage.

He looked across the room. He knew exactly where they were, sitting at a table in the back being all cozy. That wasn't his business. He didn't like them that much, but not because of that. He just didn't like hem. They tried to get along for Levy's sake, but it would never be more than that. He reminded himself that he was doing this for Levy.

He put his hand in his pocket. It was still there. He took a deep breath and left the bar before Mira got one of her ideas. He had a feeling she was watching him. And she probably had one of her mischievous smiles on her face. That woman knew everything and she was a master at getting what she wanted.

Gajeel stopped in front of the table. He folded his arms across his chest but then he unfolded them and put his hands in his pockets. Jet and Droy looked at him, surprised, and a bit annoyed.

"What are you doing here?" Jet asked. "Where's Levy?"

"She's at home."

Gajeel could tell that Jet didn't like the sound of that, and he almost wanted to say it again just to annoy him further.

"Does she know you're here?"

"Yes."

She knew he was here, but she had no idea what he was doing there. And he started to question why he was doing this.

"Look, there's somethin' I wanna tell you. I know Levy…"

" I don't want to here it," Jet interrupted him.

Gajeel sighed and tried his best to remain calm.

"I know you don't like me…"

"That's an understatement," Jet commented and folded his arms.

Droy put his hand on his arm to calm him down.

"Anyway. I know you don't like me, and I wouldn't either if I were you. Honestly, I don't like you that much either. But you're important to Levy. And I'm not going anywhere."

Jet snorted.

"You threw her out."

"I did, and I have never regretted anything more than that," Gajeel admitted. "I don't deserve her, I know that. But I love her."

Droy looked surprised and Jet's frown deepened.

"I know you're supposed to ask the parent's but…"

Gajeel took out his hand from his pocket and put a small jewelry box on the table.


	25. Chapter 25

**I didn't mean for this chapter to take so long. I wrote the first part and then I had no idea what was going to happen. I couldn't decide if this was going to be the last chapter or not. This is the last chapter. I have loved writing this and all your follows, favorites and reviews means so much to me.**

* * *

"No."

Jet glared att the small jewelry box with a frown on his face. He folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. He moved his gaze to Gajeel.

"No."

"I ain't askin'. I'm tellin' ya."

"No," Jet said again. "You got her pregnant and then you kicked her out."

"I did. And telling her to leave is the biggest mistake I've ever made."

"You don't deserve her."

"I know," Gajeel said and clenched his fist inside his pockets, trying his best to not punch Jet in the face. "She's too good for me, and I have no idea what she sees in me. But she's… I…"

Droy reached out for the jewelry box and opened it.

"It's beautiful," he said. "She's gonna love it."

"Now, she's not," Jet said. "Because she's not going to see it."

He took the box from Droy's hand and closed it without looking at it. He put it back on the table and looked at Gajeel.

"No."

"That's not your decision. I ain't asking for your permission. I'm telling you I will ask her to marry me. I came here because of Levy. I don't care what you think, but she does. I love her."

He grabbed the jewelry box and put it back in his pocket. He glared at Jet and walked away.

Droy put and hand on Jet's arms to calm him down.

"Jet, honey. He's right. It's not our decision. I don't like it any more than you do, but they're having a baby, and he loves her."

Jet didn't answer. He glared at Gajeel as he moved through the bar and out through the door.

* * *

Of course they didn't want Levy to marry him. They were never going to change their opinion of him. Droy maybe, but never Jet. If it wasn't for Levy Gajeel would never care. But they were her best friends.

He sighed and put his hands in his pockets. He looked up and saw the center. He seemed to end up here a lot. He wasn't really in the mood to fight, but he opened the back door and walked down the stairs to the gym.

It wasn't empty. Someone was there hitting one of the punching bags, The back of the t-shirt was covered in sweat. It was Rogue. Gajeel watched him for a while. Then he put on some gloves and started hitting the bag next to his.

Rogue glanced at Gajeel but didn't say anything. Neither of them did. After a while Rogue stepped away from the punching bag and grabbed a bottle of water. He looked at Gajeel while he drank the water.

"What are you doing here? It's in the middle of the night."

"Coming here in the middle of the night is kinda my thing." Gajeel said and grabbed a battle of water. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here, remember?"

Gajeel didn't miss the tone in his voice or the look Rogue gave him before he turned away.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Rogue avoided looking at Gajeel and started moving around.

"If ya got somethin' to say just say it."

"Fine," Rogue sad, but was quiet for a moment before he continued. "Remember when I said I don't expect anything from you? Well, I do. You're my brother."

"I'm trying."

"Try harder."

Rogue turned his back on Gajeel and started walking out of the gym. Gjeel watched him leave and sighed.

"Hey kid. Come for dinner tomorrow, and bring your stuff."

Rogue stopped and turned around.

"My stuff?"

"Yeah, your stuff."

Gajeel felt just as surprised as Rogue. He hadn't planned to tell him to move in. But he couldn't take it back now, could he?

* * *

Levy walked out from the bedroom and reached for the light switch. She screamed when she saw something big move towards her in the dark.

"Relax Shrimp, it's just me," Gajeel said and turned on the light.

"Gajeel? You scared me!"

She looked like she was about to faint so he quickly wrapped his arm around her.

"Sorry."

He kissed her on the top of her head and she gave him a hug.

"Did you have a good time tonight?" she asked and looked up at him.

"Yeah, well…"

He wasn't going to tell her about his talk with Jet and Droy, but he should probably tell her what happened after that.

"I met Rogue on the way home and…"

"You stopped by at the center, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Well I… he's coming for dinner tomorrow. And he's... staying"

"He's taying? You asked him to move in with us?"

"Well, yeah…"

"That's great," Levy said and hugged him again. "I've actually been thinking about it, and I think he should live it us. At least for a while. He's your brother, you're the only family he's got."

Gajeel held her tight and kissed her. God, he loved her so much. The jewelry box burned n his pocket. They were both tired, it was in the middle of the night. This was not the best moment to propose to her. But he got down on one knee and took out the box from his pocket.

"What are you doing?" Levy asked. "You don't have to…"

"I do. But it's not because you're pregnant. It because… When I met you... You… I…. You changed me. You showed me what it's like to love. What it's like to belong. I want to belong with you for the rest of my life. You're everything I never even knew I wanted. You're… everything." He opened the box and showed her the ring. "Will you marry me?

Levy looked at the ring with tears in her eyes and her hand over her heart. She didn't say anything.

"Say something, please," Gajeel said and got up on his feet.

"Yes. Yes! I'll marry you! Yes!"

He put the ring on her finger and she threw herself into his arms. He held her tight and kissed her. It was a perfect moment after all.

* * *

 **This is how this story ends. I hope you like it. Thank you so much for reading, And again I want to thank you for favoriting and following this story, and for all your Reviews. They really mean so much to me.  
I will start writing a third part soon. I hope you will continue on to that story. **


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